Abstract

The determination of minimum wages is one of the major pre-requisites of sound industrial relations in a country. It is a worker’s fundamental human right to get timely reasonable wages. Logically, an employer has the right to pay wages to the workers on the basis of their capacity. But he cannot pay a worker below the Minimum National Wage. Minimum National Wage is the nationally specified wage structure as determined by the Government and a worker cannot be paid below that structure. A worker gets wages for his service on the basis of his efficiency. Though the capability of workers differs from person to person, their basic needs are almost same. Thus, the main objective of fixing wage structure is to pay a worker minimum amount with which he can fulfill the needs of himself or his family. In order to ensure social security of a worker following seven issues should be given priority: 1. income security, 2. representation security, 3. labour market security, 4. employment security, 5. job security, 6. work security and 7. skill representation security. All these ensure ‘primary base’ for income security of unskilled workers, and income security of unskilled workers is related to minimum wages. Primary task to ensure income-security of unskilled workers can be accomplished by declaring ‘national minimum wages’ irrespective of all sectors and genders. 3