Minimum Wage Dilemma: Should Part-Time Sweepers Get Full-Day Pay or Hourly Rate?

If service of a sweeper on a contractor's payroll is required for 4 hours a day, whether he is entitled to receive minimum wages for the whole day or if he should be paid for 4 hours at an hourly rate arrived by dividing the daily stipulated minimum wages by 8. If possible, please provide case laws, judgments, or relevant provisions of the bare act.

Sudipta Chaudhuri

In certain categories of employment, the rate of wages is fixed by the appropriate authority per hour following section 3(3)(b)(i) of the Minimum Wages Act. Normally, sweepers, being part-time employees, are usually permitted an hourly rate even if there is no specific notification. Therefore, paying wages for 4 hours by dividing the daily rate by eight will not be a problem.

Regards,
Madhu.T.K