A general right to a minimum wage in English law: an argument from generic consistency

Is there a general right to a minimum wage in English law? That we even ask this question might prompt a suspicion that we have taken leave of our senses. After all, no general right to a minimum wage exists in statutes or in the common law, and the situation is not altered by the incorporation of European Community (EC) law into domestic law by the European Communities Act 1972 -for, while it is true that the Social Chapter of the Maastricht Treaty may be interpreted as granting a general right to a minimum wage, the UK has opted out of this chapter? Certainly, the UK is party to international treaties and conventions - most notably the European Social Charter (ESC) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) - that expressly grant a general right to a minimum wage.