Social Dialogue: Our Country Facing Its Payslip

Rs 635. A sum. A decision. A signal.

The government has made its choice. A uniform salary compensation of Rs 635 for all employees earning up to Rs 50,000. This measure is presented as an “exceptional effort” by the Prime Minister “in a constrained fiscal context.” It seems like an attempt to find a middle ground. However, in a country already experiencing social tension, the middle ground was too small, and the knives were too many.

In the unions, disappointment is palpable...