Nita discusses the Karnataka government’s new law stipulating a minimum wage for domestic workers.
There are three aspects to this:
1) Is Rs 15/- an hour or Rs 450/- a month for an hour’s work, fair and just?
2) Can it be implemented?
3) What about the rest of India?
Parul shares a story which shows some of the risks that come with having a full time domestic worker at home.
To cut the rest of the story short, the maid had been giving the child out to beggars every day. The beggars would drug the child to make him drowsy and then use him as a prop to ask for alms at traffic signals. The maid had been making money this way for several months.
Both points of view are valid, and make a strong case for why domestic workers should be treated like any other employee – they should have a sustainable minimum wage, and should undergo background checks.
Comments
4 comments. Leave your comment »
Rohit
Feb 28th, 2008 at 6:22 pm | #
Hi,
What is the evidence (economic) that minimum wages have ever worked? As long as there is no coercion involved, why should the government decide ”a sustainable minimum wage”?
Lekhni
Feb 28th, 2008 at 7:20 pm | #
As long as there is no coercion involved
Precisely why. There could well be coercion. And then there is desperation. Who has the bargaining advantage? Not the domestic worker..
Rohit
Feb 28th, 2008 at 8:21 pm | #
If there is coercion involved, then how will minimum wages help? I mean if you have a slave, are you likely to pay him more just because the state has fixed a minimum wage? A state which cannot prevent coercion in employment can hardly be expected to implement minimum wages!
The bargaining advantage is the function of the market: demand and supply. If there is coercion involved, the state can move in even without minimum wages. If there is none, then let the market do its job.
Nita
Feb 28th, 2008 at 10:53 pm | #
For some reason the pingback for this link did not arrive and I was surprised to see people from desipundit arriving!
Thanks.