NOTES 45
^atm^e, these should first be used for amelioration of the lots of the people who are unemployed or underemployed rather than ensuring a minimum wage related to certain norms set by the 15th ll^Cfor a section of the comumty17.
Therefore, it concludes that
having regard to the prevailing level of wages in the agricultural sector and the general minimum level in trade and industry, the adoption of minimum remuneration based on the 15th ILC norms at this stage would be tantamont to a misdirection of resources 13
Thus the need-based minimum wage for the government employees remains to be the will-o'-the-wisp. Whatever be the intention of the framers of the Constitution to make Directive Principles ensure minimum wage for the workers of the country, in reality it still remains a pious declaration on paper and nothing else.
K L HALDAR
1 Constitution of India, Article 43, Part iv. Directive Principles of State Policy.
2 Speech by Dr Ambedkar, Constituent Assembly Debates, Vol vii, p 476.
3 A 1 R, 1957, section 1175 at 177, L LJ II, 55 at 58.
4 A I R, 1958, section 30 at 3t, 1958, L L J 1 at 6.
5 Report of Committee on Fair Wages, p 30.
6 Quoted in the memorandum submitted by the Confederation of the Central Government Employees to the Third Central Pay Commission, p 34.
7 Summary of the Proceedings of the 15th Session of Indian Labour Conference, p 22.
8 "Some Papers on Wage Policy", quoted in the Report of the subcommittee of the rational Nutritional Advisory Council, p 28.
9 A Paper on "Man at Work" by an ILO expert, published by the Bombay Labour Institute, quoted in the memorandum, of AITEU, class-Ill, submitted to the Central Third Pay Commission.
10 Report of the Second Pay Commission, quoted by the Confederation of the Central
Government Employees in its memorandum to the Third Central Pay Commission. " Ibid.
12 Report of the Third Central Pay Commission, 1973, Sub para 2 (vii) of para 6, p 1.
13 Ibid., Chapter 6, para 15, p 55. la Ibid., para 26, p 58. 15 Ibid., para 36, p 60. 18 Ibid,, para 44, p 61.
17 Ibid., para. 20, p 56.
18 Ibid., para 25, p 58.