Gujarat asked to decide minimum wages to contract staff

GANDHINAGAR - The Gujarat High Court Friday sought a clarification from the state government on payment of the minimum wages to employees hired on a fixed pay contract.

A division bench of Chief Justice S.J. Mukhopadhya and Justice Akil Kureshi said: “The advocate general is allowed two weeks’ time to obtain instructions from the government whether the state intends to fix monthly wages taking into consideration the minimum wages prescribed for such posts or the minimum pay prescribed as per the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission.”

The bench directed advocate general Kamal Trivedi to inform the government that it will have to take a decision within two weeks.

“If the government does not take any decision in this matter within two weeks, we may pass appropriate orders,” the court said. The case will come up for hearing on April 8.

The court’s direction came on a public interest litigation (PIL) of Yogkshem Foundation for Human Dignity, which challenged the state government’s policy to hire staff for five years on a fixed pay which does not meet even the minimum wage requirements.

According to the petition, there were about seven lakh employees hired by the state who were not being paid even the minimum wages.

The petitioner contended that the government has been unfair to these employees and its policy was against the law. The state government passed notifications Nov 10, 2006, allowing its departments to hire staff on contract basis and on fixed pay.