This page shows the current applicable minimum wage for workers employed in Cold Storage establishments in Punjab. Use it to check the notified rate for each skill category before fixing pay for plant operators, chamber attendants, loaders, and other cold storage staff in Punjab.
Minimum wage rates for Cold Storage in Punjab
| Category | Per day | Per month (26 days) |
|---|---|---|
| Unskilled | ₹518.69 | ₹13,486 |
| Semi-skilled | ₹553.19 | ₹14,383 |
| Skilled | ₹592.84 | ₹15,414 |
| Highly-skilled | ₹638.50 | ₹16,601 |
| Staff A (postgraduate / professional) | ₹747.34 | ₹19,431 |
| Staff B (graduate / diploma) | ₹673.46 | ₹17,510 |
| Staff C (above matriculation, certificate) | ₹607.15 | ₹15,786 |
| Staff D (Class IV / casual) | ₹554.07 | ₹14,406 |
Rates effective 1 May 2026.
What counts as Cold Storage
Cold Storage as a scheduled employment covers work carried out in refrigerated warehouses and controlled-temperature facilities that receive, store, preserve, and dispatch perishable goods such as fruits, vegetables, potatoes, dairy, meat, fish, and processed foods. It includes running and maintaining the refrigeration plant, chambers, insulation, and handling systems that hold stored stock at the required temperature.
- Public and private cold storage warehouses
- Refrigerated units attached to agricultural produce markets and mandis
- Cold chain hubs for milk and dairy products
- Frozen food, meat, and fish storage facilities
- Controlled-atmosphere chambers for fruits and potatoes
- Ice plants and refrigerated depots
- Pharmaceutical and vaccine cold rooms
Typical roles and skill categories
- Refrigeration plant operator
- Ammonia and compressor plant technician
- Cold room or chamber attendant
- Loader and stacker of chilled and frozen goods
- Weighment clerk and storekeeper
- Temperature and gauge recorder
- Electrician and maintenance fitter
- Plant supervisor or in-charge
- Security guard
In Cold Storage work, the unskilled grade usually covers loaders, stackers, and general chamber helpers, while the semi-skilled grade takes in weighment clerks and junior chamber attendants. The skilled and highly-skilled grades typically map to refrigeration plant operators, ammonia and compressor technicians, maintenance fitters, and plant supervisors who keep the refrigeration system running.
Who fixes this wage
Cold Storage is a notified scheduled employment for which the Punjab government fixes minimum wages by skill category, and in many cases by zone or area. Every cold storage establishment operating in Punjab is required to pay at least the notified rate that applies to each worker's skill grade.
How Punjab sets minimum wages
Punjab's Department of Labour applies a single statewide schedule with no zoning, but grades workers into the longest ladder among these states at eight categories. Each grade carries both a daily rate and a monthly rate on a 26-day basis, with the current wages effective from 1 May 2026. Revision is by notification rather than through a variable dearness allowance.
Common questions
What is the current minimum wage for Cold Storage in Punjab?
In Punjab, the minimum wage for Cold Storage currently runs from about ₹518.69 to ₹747.34 per day and ₹13486 to ₹19431 per month, depending on skill category and zone, effective 1 May 2026. The exact figure by category is in the table below. Confirm the exact rate for your worker's skill category and zone in the table above, and against the latest official notification.
Which cold storage workers are covered by these minimum wages in Punjab?
The notified rates apply to all workers engaged in a cold storage establishment in Punjab, including refrigeration plant operators, chamber attendants, loaders, weighment clerks, and maintenance staff, whether they are employed directly or supplied through a contractor.
How do the skill categories decide what a cold storage worker is paid?
Each worker is placed in the skill grade that matches the job, so general helpers and loaders usually fall under unskilled while plant technicians and operators fall under skilled or highly-skilled, and that grade decides which notified rate the employer in Punjab must apply.
Does the cold storage minimum wage change with the location of the facility in Punjab?
In many cases yes, because Punjab often fixes cold storage wages by zone or area, so a facility in a larger city or industrial belt can fall under a different rate band than one in a rural or mandi location.
Never underpay in Punjab
ZeniaHR maps every worker to the correct minimum-wage notification by state, skill and zone, and flags anyone paid below it.
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