Rethink Minimum Wage

I went to the market down the road from my village with a shovel in my hand and I looked for a job. I went up to every man and woman and asked how much they would pay me for each hour of shoveling. The highest bidder that day was a woman that said she would give me Rs. 10 per hour for shoveling cement. I went back to her and said that I would work for her for Rs. 10 per hour for as many hours as she would like. She told me, "I need you to shovel this cement within 3 hours." I did the work she asked within 3 hours, and a went up to her to collect Rs. 30. A policeman nearby saw this transaction and said to the woman "You cannot pay this man, Rs. 30, you must pay him at least Rs. 20 for each hour you hired him."

The woman said "His work is only worth Rs. 30 to me, if I give him Rs. 60, than I am giving him Rs. 30 for free!"

The policeman said "It's the law. You must follow the minimum wage laws."

She reluctantly gave me the money but told me "I'll never hire you again, only because it is too expensive for me. You are a good worker, but you are not worth that much money to me."

I felt bad for the woman, but the fact that I had gotten twice the money I was worth in one day, was enough to put a smile on my face. The next day I went to the market down the road from my village, and the police man went around everywhere to post up minimum wage signs. That day I couldn't find any jobs. The next day I couldn't find any jobs. I was unemployed for the rest of my life. I could have had a steady job earning Rs. 30 per day or even more, but nobody wants to hire people out of charity.

Minimum wages doesn't help poor people, it discriminates against them.

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