Is it true that wealthy people who hire workers at lower wages do not incur sin if the worker agrees?

[Shri Yash asked:- Namaste Swami, Please clarify the below doubts regarding the rules of pravrutti (worldly conduct). Some start-up companies offer lower salaries to employees. Similarly, some households pay lower wages to domestic helpers such as cooks, cleaners, and washermen. In many other situations also, wages and payments vary. For example, in clothing shops or shopping malls, some employees work long hours for relatively low salaries. In construction work, daily laborers are sometimes paid different wages depending on the employer. Even in small private offices or retail stores, some workers accept lower salaries due to lack of options.

One of my relatives does not own a house or land. They are elderly and not in a position to do household work themselves. They look for multiple helpers, but eventually they are able to hire someone only at higher wages. For example, they end up paying ₹10,000 for the same work. However, multiple other relatives who own land, houses, plots, and have government jobs pay only ₹5,000 or even less for similar work. For marriages, other functions, or daily domestic help, some relatives pay half the usual wage, while others pay only a quarter of the amount that is normally paid outside. When I asked a scholar about this, he said that the relatives who pay lower wages do not incur sin because they clearly state the salary amount in advance, and the house helpers agree to work for that amount.

Is it true that wealthy people who hire workers at lower wages do not incur sin if the worker agrees?

In the IT industry, it may be acceptable because after some years of experience, employees may receive higher salaries. But in physical work like domestic help, workers may not have much opportunity to increase their income significantly. Kindly guide me on this matter. Best Regards, Yash]

Swami replied:- Apart from the owner and the worker, there is a basic truth about the value of work that stands between the owner and the worker. This basic truth is neither understood by the owner nor by the worker and this leads to the present confusion. The government should constitute a committee comprising scholars from various fields to determine minimum wages for different types of work, taking into account the frequently fluctuating market prices of food items and basic necessities. Apart from food, other requirements also exist, which must be kept in mind so that the associated gifts shall also be systematized in the payments of labour charges. The government shall strictly implement these rules. Actually, if all the labours form an association and stand unitedly on the implementation of the prescribed wages, the implementation will be 100% successful. Lack of unity among the labourers is the root cause for their exploitation. In a family of workers, anybody may perform the work. But, the major portion of the labour charges shall be paid to the female of the family because generally men are habituated to vices like drinking, smoking etc., and waste the income without saving it for the welfare of the family. The government also shall ban the production of liquor, cigarette etc., that harm the health of humanity. This problem of low income to the labour is to be attacked from various angles and not from a single direct angle.

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