Gujarat High Court today directed the state government to pay a salary of not less than Rs 221 a day to all the part-time government employees from next month.
The division bench of Justices Akil Qureshi and J B Pardiwala, which was hearing a public interest litigation, in its interim order directed the government to pay the minimum wage as per the labour department's notification, until the current wage-scale is revised.
The PIL has been filed by city-based trade union 'Gujarat Rajya Anshkalin Karmchari Mandal'.
The court rapped the government saying that it was paying such a meagre salary that a family won't even afford tea for a month.
The judges made it clear that there should not be any change in the working-hours while hiking the wages. The court also suggested that the state provide full-time job to such employees.
As per the petitioners, government pays only Rs 1,350 per month -- Rs 45 a day -- to part-time employees, who work six hours a day, when the minimum wage is Rs 221 per day as per the rules.
PIL also says that state has not revised the wage-scale since 1998.
