PANAJI: The state government must withdraw the advisory requiring all private sector employers to pay wages during the month-long lockdown and should instead bear the salary burden of the employees, seven industrial bodies have said in a joint letter to the state government.The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), Goa Hotel & Restaurant Association (GH&RA), Goa State Industries Association (GSIA), Goa Technology Association (GTA), Travel & Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) and Verna Industries Association (VIA) questioned the state government’s legal authority to ask the private sector to pay full wages while also ordering closure of operations. “The government, while drawing a stimulus or revival plan for the economy, should certainly consider subsidising the wage cost. This is an obligation of the government which it needs to discharge,” they said in the letter.Ever since the nationwide lockdown was announced, the Centre as well as state government have issued advisories calling upon employers to pay not just permanent employees, but also contractual workmen and migrant workers.The seven industry bodies said they understand the “humanitarian aspect” of the crisis and agreed that employees need to receive wages in order to support their needs.“However, there is need to analyse whether such an obligation should be that of private employers or that of the state,” said the letter which has been signed by Blaise Costabir, Manoj Caculo, Gaurish Dhond, Damodar Kochkar, Mangirish Salelkar and Nilesh Shah.“The directive issued by governments to employers to pay wages to all workmen neither comes within the framework of the Disaster Management Act and Epidemic Diseases Act nor is backed by any statutory provision of labour or any other law prevailing under the normal conditions ,” the letter said.The industry bodies further argued that no powers have been vested with either the state government or the Central government to direct private employers to pay wages during a disaster if the employees are not working.The letter also points out that across the world, governments have taken measures to support employers and employees by announcing economic packages to alleviate the condition of the labourers.Further, they said that the failure of the Modi government to subsidise the private sector during the lockdown will result in hardships for entrepreneurs who may have to file for bankruptcy.