You have recently been posted as a District Labour Officer in a state, which derives a substantial revenue from tourism. You come to know that a big hotel in the area has not been paying wages as per the Minimum Wages Act. The hotel owner is a powerful local leader having contacts with many influential officials of the state. You have the power to take sou-moto cognizance of such violations and accordingly you initiate a preliminary enquiry into the matter. However, no worker is willing to come forward to lodge a formal complaint because they fear loss of employment. Meanwhile, your action has attracted notice of the higher authorities, and you are advised to drop the matter altogether. You are deeply concerned about the situation as it involves not only violation of the Minimum Wages Act but also denial of basic human rights of the worker. (a) Identify the issues involved in the given case. (b) Consider the options given below: 1. Follow the informal advise of the higher authorities. 2. Convince the owner of the hotel to take note of these violations and take appropriate remedial measures. 3. Submit a detailed report on the matter highlighting violations of workers’ rights and seek formal directions from the competent authority. 4. Serve a notice to the hotel owner and initiate action as per your powers under the Minimum Wages Act. Evaluate the merits and demerits of each of these options and suggest your preferred course of action, giving reasons.

Answered by 11 toppers · CSE 2019–2022

Syllabus: Case Studies on above issues.