'Entitlement of Minimum Wage: A Fundamental right'- A seminar conducted by International Justice Mission

The International Justice Mission on Saturday organized an online seminar on ‘Entitlement of Minimum wage- a fundamental right’. Former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India Mr. P Sathasivam was the special speaker at the seminar. He spoke at length about the significance of minimum wage as a fundamental right.

He gave a brief introduction to laws associated with minimum wage. “It is a fundamental right under article 21 and 23 of the Indian Constitution. India introduced the minimum wages act in 1948 giving both the central and state govt simultaneous jurisdiction in fixing wages,” he said.

The former CJI highlighted the distinction between the labour dispute and violation of fundamental rights associated with minimum wages. “Any wage pay below the promised money but above the minimum wage is a labour dispute but any wage pay below minimum wage is a violation of fundamental rights,” he stated. 

While elucidating on the repercussions one might face in cases of violations, he stated, “ the right to minimum wage has been recognized as a fundamental right by the supreme court of India which has held that nonpayment of minimum wages to be a violation of article 21 and 23 of the constitution” and also added that the employers would be accountable in cases of violation.

Other Guest speakers of the seminar includes Dr. Carrie Pemberton Ford, the founder of Cambridge Centre for Applied Research in Human Trafficking and Dr. Shantanu Dutta, regional director for South Asia in International Justice Mission. The session was moderated by Ms. Merlin Freeda, the Director of Operations in Chennai, International Justice Mission.

The seminar was attended by many Judges, Lawyers, Legal Professionals, social welfare officers and police officers among others.