Section 16: National Wages Board and Area Minimum Wages Committees

(1)
The Minister may by order establish for the Federation, a Board to be known as the National Wages Board (referred to in this section and in section 17 of this Act, as "the Board"), and the Minister may, after prior consultation with the appropriate authority, set up an area minimum wages committee for the State.
(2) It shall be the function of the Board-
(a) to examine the application to all unskilled workers of any agreed minimum wage rate in any specified area;
(b) to examine from time to time the adequacy of minimum wage rates for unskilled workers in the light of any recommendations received from area minimum wages committees;
(c) to consider any matter referred to it by the Minister with reference to the minimum wage rates of unskilled workers in any area for which an area minimum wages committee has been set up; and
(d) to report and make recommendations accordingly to the Minister.
(3) The Board shall have all such powers as are reasonably necessary for the proper exercise of its functions; and in particular, without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, it may-
(a) carry out specific investigations on matters referred to it, and submit to the Minister reports on the investigations and any other information it may consider desirable for the effective exercise of its functions; and
(b) call for oral or written information which it considers necessary for the effective exercise of its functions from any source whatsoever, so however that if any person objects to answering any question or producing any document on the ground that it will tend to incriminate him or on any other lawful ground, that person shall not be required to answer the question or produce the document or be liable to any penalty for refusing to do so.
(4) It shall be the function of an area minimum wages committee-
(a) to make recommendations to the Board on the minimum wages of unskilled workers in the committee's area;
(b) to carry out specific investigations on matters referred to it by the Board;
(c) to submit to the Board reports, minutes and any other information it considers desirable for the effective exercise of the Board's functions; and
(d) to determine urban and rural sub-areas in its area.