Workers have the right to equal pay for equal work under the Contract Labour Act and Rules. In the writ of Jagjit Singh vs State of Punjab, in the context of electricity workers of Punjab and Haryana, the Supreme Court in its decision given on 26 October 2016 clearly stated that no person voluntarily works as a contract worker at very low wages. He pays the price of his self-respect, dignity, self-worth and integrity for the food, clothing and shelter of his family. The Supreme Court says that in any welfare state, workers doing equal work cannot be given less wages at all. The decision said that undoubtedly giving less wages for equal work is an act of exploitation, enslavement and oppression. The Central Government has abolished the provision of equal pay for equal work in the Labor Code.
Dinkar Kapoor, ‘Modi Government’s Fraud, Minimum Wage increased by just Rs 3/- per day’, CounterCurrents
