PRINCIPLES OF FIXATION OF WAGES AND SALARY

PRINCIPLES OF FIXATION OF WAGES AND SALARY

                                                           

Salary or wage” means all remuneration (other than remuneration in respect of over-time work) capable of being expressed in terms of money. Wages are defined broadly as any economic compensation paid by the employer to his labourers under some contract for the services rendered by them. In its actual sense which is prevalent in the practice, wages are paid to workers which include basic wages and other allowances which are linked with the wages like dearness allowances, etc. , but does not include-

(i) Any other allowance which the employee is for the time being entitled to;

(ii) the value of any house accommodation or supply of light, water, medical attendance or other amenity or of any service or of any concessional supply of food grains or other articles;

(iii) Any traveling concession;

(iv)  Any Bonus (including incentive, production and attendance bonus);

(v) Any contribution paid or payable by the employer to any pension fund or provident fund or for the benefit of the employee under any law for the time being in force;

(vi) Any retrenchment compensation or any gratuity or other retirement benefit payable to the employee or any ex gratia payment made to him;

(vii) Any commission payable to the employee.

Principles of Wage Determination

The basic principle of wage and salary fixation is that it should be based on the relative contributions of different jobs and not on the basis of who the job holders are. If this principle is adopted, the first requirement is to identify the likely contributions of different jobs. This is what job evaluation precisely does. It provides the information about what is the worth of a job in terms of its contributions to the achievement of organizational effectiveness.

Overcoming Anomalies

Job evaluation, if carried on periodically and objectively, helps in overcoming various anomalies which may develop in an organization over the period of time with regard to compensation management. Knowles and Thomposon have identified that there are following anomalies and evils which may develop in an organization and may be overcome by job evaluation:

1. Payment of high wages and salaries to persons who hold jobs and

Positions not requiring great skill, effort and responsibility;

2. Paying beginners less than that they are entitled to receive in terms of

What is required of them?

3. Giving a raise to persons whose performance does not justify the raise;

4. Deciding rates of pay on the basis of seniority rather than ability;

5. Payment of widely varied wages and salaries for the same or closely

Related jobs and positions; and

6. Payment of unequal wages and salaries on the basis of race, sex, religion,

or political differences.

As the major production cost, wages affect profits, business investment, competitiveness, and are a cost push inflationary factor. As the major income in the economy, wages affect standard of living, income distribution and poverty, and demand pull inflation. As the source of wage disputes is the employer treating wages as their major cost, and the employee viewing wages as their major income.

Norms for fixation of wages in industry.

1. While computing the minimum wages, the standard working class family should be considered as consisting of four consumption units and the earnings of women, children and adolescents should be excluded.

2. The minimum food requirements should be determined on the grounds of a net intake of 2700 calories as laid down by Akroyd for a normal adult in India.

3. Clothing needs should be established on the basis of a per capita consumption of 16.62 meters per year.

4. As regards housing, the minimum wages should be determined from the standpoint of the rent corresponding to the minimum area specified under the government Industrial Housing Scheme.

5. Miscellaneous expenditure on items such fuel, lighting etc. should from 20 per cent of the total minimum wage. The resolution further prescribes that the authorities involved in the issue should justify any deviation from these norms.

The following principles have always been the bases of the wage determination process.
All are economically valid. At different stages they have collectively, and singularly, been used to determine wage increases.

1. Preserving real income: This is the argument used by employees and Unions viewing wages as an income. Following this principle usually results in wages being indexed to inflation. In periods of rising inflation, indexation becomes a problem of an institutionalized wage-price spiral. Underlying aspects that have also impacted on real wage preservation arguments have been a "basic" minimum wage, and comparative wage justice.

2. Labour productivity: A valid economic theory connects wages to labour productivity. Conflict arises over the measurement of productivity. Rewarding labour with a wage increase when technology, and/or capital investment, increases labour efficiency may not be justified.

3. The capacity of business to afford wage increases: This emphasizes wages as a cost of production, and the threat of wage increases to squeeze profits. This "capacity" argument is that followed by business owners.

4. The capacity of the Economy to absorb wage increases: This "capacity" argument views the macro impact of wage increases on inflation, competitiveness, and other aspects of internal and external balance; as well as the affect on business profits and investment from 3. This is the main argument of the Federal Government recognizing the macro policy potential of an Incomes Policy to address external and internal balance goals to supplement demand management policies, and the effects on income distribution.

5. Supply and Demand of labour: The labour market conditions or supply and demand forces operated at the national, regional and local levels, and determine organizational wage structure and level. If the demand for certain skills and the supply are low, the result is a rise in the price to be paid for these skills. The other alternative is to pay higher wages if the labour supply is scarce, and lower wages when it is excessive.

6. Prevailing Market rate: This is also known as the ‘comparable wage’ or ‘going wage rate’ and is most widely used criterion. An organization’s compensation policies generally tend to conform to the wage –rates payable by the industry and the community. It is observed:  Some

Companies pay on the high side of the market in order to obtain goodwill or to insure adequate supply of labour, while other organizations pay lower wages because economically they have to, or because by lowering hiring requirements they could keep jobs adequately manned.

7. Living wage: This means that wages paid should be adequate to enable an employee to maintain himself and his family at a reasonable level of existence. However, employers do not generally favor using the concept of a living wage as a guide to wage determination because they

prefer to base the wages of an employee on his contribution rather on his need.

8. Managerial Attitudes:  Top management’s desire to maintain or enhance the company’s prestige is a major factor in the wage policy of a number of firms. Desires to improve or maintain morale, to attract high caliber employees, to reduce turnover, and to provide a high living standard for employees as possible also appear to be factors in management’s wage policy decisions.

9. Psychological and social factors: these determine in a significant measure how hard a person will work for the compensation received or what pressures he would exist to get his compensation increased. Psychologically, persons perceive the level of wages as a measure of

success in life, people might feel secure, has an inferiority complex, seem inadequate or feel the reverse of all these. Sociologically and ethically, people feel that “equal work should carry equal wages” that ‘wages should be commensurate with their efforts’ that they are not exploited and “that no distinction is made on the basis of caste, color, sex or religion.” To satisfy the conditions of equity, fairness and justice, a management should take these factors into consideration.

PRINCIPLES OF WAGE AND SALARY ADMINISTRATION

The government of India provides many regulations for regulating the wages and salary administration such as,

Ø  The minimum wages act 1998

Ø  The equal remunerations act 1976

Ø  The companies act 1956

Ø  The industrial dispute act 1956

Ø  The payment of wages act 1936 etc.

The following guidelines should be followed in the administration of wages and salary,

1.      Wage policy should be developed keeping in view the interests of the employer, the employees, the consumers and the community.

2.      Wage policy should be stated clearly in writing to ensure uniform and consistent application.

3.      Wage and salary administration should be consistent with the overall plans of the company. Compensation planning should be an integral part of the financial planning.

4.      Wage and salary plans should be sufficiently flexible or responsive to changes internal and external conditions of the organization.

5.      Management should ensure that employees know and understand the wage policy of the company.

6.      All wages and salary decisions should be checked against the standards set in advance in the wage policy.

7.      Wage and salary plans should simplify and expedite administrative process.

8.      An adequate database and proper organizational setup should be developed for compensation determination and administration.

9.      Wage policy and programme should be reviewed and revised periodically in conformity with changing needs.

Thus, by following the above mentioned principles of determination and administration of wages and salary the objectives such as- to establish fair and equitable remuneration, to attract competent personnel, to retain present employees, to improve productivity, to control costs, to establish job sequences and lines of promotion wherever applicable, to improve union management relations, to improve public image of the company can be effectively met.