Factors Influencing Employee Remuneration

1.FACTORS INFLUENCING EMPLOYEE REMUNERATION

•A number of factors influence the remuneration payable to employees. •They can be categorized :

External Factors Internal Factors

1.External Factors to an organization are : • Labour Market • Cost of Living •Labour Unions • Government Legislations • The Society, and • The Economy

1.Labour Market • Demand for and supply of labour influence wage and salary fixation. • A low wage may be fixed when the supply of labour exceeds the demand for it. • A higher wage will have to be paid when demand exceeds supply, as in the case of skilled labour • High remuneration to skilled labour is necessary to attract and retain them. • But exploitation of unskilled labour, like, for instance, paying niggardly wages because it is available in plenty, in unjustified. • The Minimum Wages Act, 1948, is precisely meant to prevent this kind of exploitation

•The Going rate system involves fixing wage/salary rates in tune with what is paid by different units of an industry in a locality. •Going rates are generally paid in the initial stages of plant operators. •Productivity of labour also influences wage fixation •Productivity can arise due to increased effort of the worker, or as a results of the factors beyond the control of the management, and the like. •From advance technology and more efficient method of production •Productivity has only a subordinate role in wage fixation. •The argument that productivity would increase if it is linked to remuneration is hardly acceptable.

1.Cost of Living •A rise in the cost of living is sought to be compensated by payment of dearness allowance, basic pay to remain undisturbed. •Many companies include an escalatory clause in their wage agreement in terms of which dearness allowance increases or decreases depending upon the movement of consumer price index (CPI)

•Labour Unions 1.The presence or absence of labour organizations often determines the quantum of wages paid to employees. 2.Employers of non-unionized factories enjoy the freedom to fix wages and salaries as they please. Because of large unemployment. 3.An individual non-unionised company may be willing to pay more to its employees if only to discourage them from forming union, but will buckle under the combine pressure from the other non-unionised organizations. 4.The employees of strongly unionized companies too, have no freedom in wage and, salary fixation. 5.They are forced to yield to pressure of labour representatives in determining and revising pay scales.

•Labour Laws 1.We have plethora of laws at the central as well as at the state levels. 2.Some of the laws which have bearing on employee remuneration are :

othe Payment of Wages Act 1936 ofor certain classes of persons employed in the industry. Protection against irregularity in payment of wages in a particular form and at regular intervals othe Minimum Wages Act, 1948 oenabled central and state Government to fix minimum rates of wages payable to employees othe Payment of Bonus Act 1965 oprovides payment of a specified rate of bonus to employees in certain establishments. oEqual Remuneration Act, 1976 , oprovides payment of equal remuneration to men and women workers for same or similar work. othe Payment of Gratuity Act 1972 oprovides payments of gratuity to employees after they attain superannuation.

1.The Act stipulate stringent action/punishment for contravention of its provisions

2.In addition to legal enactments, there are wage boards, tribunals and fair wages committees which aim at providing a decent standard of living to workers.

3.In fact India is the only democratic country in the world which has attempted wage regulation on so large a scale through state-sponsored agencies.

4.With regard to managerial remuneration, there is Companies Act 1956, which puts a cap on salary and perquisites of managers. Section 198 and 309 of the Act contain provisions relating to managerial remuneration.