Coal Mines (Fixation of Rates of Wages) Ordinance, 1960

The Coal Mines (Fixation of Rates of Wages) Ordinance, 1960 lets the Provincial Government set minimum wage rates specifically for workers employed in coal mines. Section 2 defines a "coal mine" broadly to include the excavation site itself along with associated works, machinery, tramways, and sidings — but excludes any part of the premises used for manufacturing processes, unless that process is making coke or dressing coal.

Section 3 lets the Provincial Government fix minimum wage rates for coal mine workers by Gazette notification, optionally after consulting the Miners Welfare Board set up under the Excise Duty on Minerals (Labour Welfare) Act, 1967. Section 4 makes this binding once notified: every coal mine worker becomes entitled to be paid by the mine owner at a rate no lower than the notified minimum.

Section 5 overrides any conflicting term in an existing wage agreement or employment contract — but if a worker's existing agreement already promises a higher rate than the new minimum, they keep the benefit of that higher rate. Section 6 clarifies the Ordinance works alongside, not instead of, the Payment of Wages Act, 1936 and the industrial relations laws governing standing orders and labour disputes.

This is a sector-specific labour-protection law aimed at ensuring a wage floor for a historically vulnerable category of manual workers; it should be read together with later general minimum-wage legislation for a full picture of current wage protections.