This Day in History: 8 June 1971
The first meeting of the Student Wages Commission was held at the Bolton Hall, Durban. Beforehand, thousands of pamphlets announcing the meeting and explaining the Poverty Datum Line (PDL) were printed and distributed by the students to workers in industrial areas, outside factory gates and at taxi ranks. 400 workers attended and signed an objection to the Wage Board's latest ruling on the minimum wage, and demanded a minimum wage of R20 per week. The petition was ignored by the government's Wages Board, which had decided on a minimum of R8 - 50 per week.