This page shows the current applicable minimum wage for workers employed in Oil Mills in West Bengal. Whether you run an oil mill or work in one, you can check the latest notified rates for West Bengal below, arranged by skill category.
Minimum wage rates for Oil Mills in West Bengal
| Skill category | Zone A / month | Zone A / day | Zone B / month | Zone B / day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unskilled | ₹10,558 | ₹406 | ₹9,760 | ₹375 |
| Semi-skilled | ₹11,615 | ₹447 | ₹10,733 | ₹413 |
| Skilled | ₹12,777 | ₹491 | ₹11,807 | ₹454 |
| Highly-skilled | ₹14,054 | ₹541 | ₹12,990 | ₹500 |
Rates effective 1 July to 31 December 2026.
What counts as Oil Mills
Oil Mills as a scheduled employment covers establishments engaged in crushing, expelling, extracting, and refining edible and non-edible oils from oilseeds such as groundnut, mustard, sesame, copra, cottonseed, castor, linseed, and soybean, together with the handling of oilcake and other by-products.
- Oilseed crushing and expelling units (ghani, kolhu, and power-driven expellers)
- Solvent extraction plants
- Vegetable and edible oil refineries
- Copra and coconut oil mills
- Cottonseed and rice-bran oil units
- Oilcake and de-oiled cake processing units
- Oil filtering, filling, and packing units
Typical roles and skill categories
- Expeller or crushing machine operator
- Solvent extraction plant operator
- Refinery operator and boiler attendant
- Filter press operator
- Oilseed cleaner and feeder
- Filling and packing worker
- Oilcake handler and loader
- Weighbridge clerk and storekeeper
- Helper and general labourer
In Oil Mills, unskilled rates usually apply to feeders, loaders, and oilcake handlers, and semi-skilled rates to filling, packing, and machine-tending hands. Skilled rates typically cover expeller, solvent-plant, and refinery operators, while highly-skilled rates apply to technicians and supervisors overseeing extraction and refining lines.
Who fixes this wage
Oil Mills is a notified scheduled employment under the Minimum Wages Act, for which the West Bengal government fixes and periodically revises minimum rates of wages by skill category. In many cases these rates also vary by geographical zone or area class within West Bengal.
How West Bengal sets minimum wages
West Bengal's Labour Commissionerate splits the state into two zones, A and B, and gives four figures for each skill category: a monthly and a daily rate in Zone A and again in Zone B. Four skill grades are covered, and the schedule runs for the half-year from 1 July to 31 December 2026. Revision comes through periodic notification rather than a variable dearness allowance.
Common questions
What is the current minimum wage for Oil Mills in West Bengal?
In West Bengal, the minimum wage for Oil Mills currently runs from about ₹375 to ₹541 per day and ₹9760 to ₹14054 per month, depending on skill category and zone, effective 1 July to 31 December 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.
Does the Oil Mills minimum wage apply to seasonal groundnut or mustard crushing units?
Yes. In West Bengal the notified Oil Mills rates apply to workers whether the unit runs year-round or only during the oilseed crushing season, including those engaged on a temporary or seasonal basis for that period.
How is a worker's skill category decided in an oil mill?
It depends on the nature of the work performed, so an expeller or solvent-plant operator is treated as skilled while a feeder or oilcake loader is treated as unskilled. Employers in West Bengal should classify each worker by the actual duties handled, not by job title alone.
Are helpers and loaders who handle oilcake and oil drums covered?
Yes. General labourers, loaders, and helpers who handle oilseeds, oilcake, and oil drums fall within the Oil Mills schedule and are entitled to at least the minimum wage notified for their skill category in West Bengal.
Never underpay in West Bengal
ZeniaHR maps every worker to the correct minimum-wage notification by state, skill and zone, and flags anyone paid below it.
Book a demo