Calling someone a “volunteer” does not erase their right to a minimum wage, according to a significant ruling in Mumbai. The Bombay High Court found that BMC Community Health Volunteers effectively work as civic employees: they have fixed hours, follow medical staff instructions, receive monthly payments and have spent decades supporting public health programmes, particularly in slum communities. The court ordered them to receive the statutory minimum wage based on hours worked, rejecting the argument that their current ₹14,000 monthly payment is merely an “honorarium,” while clarifying that the ruling does not make them permanent employees or grant additional service benefits. After nearly 38 years of the programme, the label may stay - but the pay can no longer hide behind it.