An Analysis of Working Conditions and Impact of Work on Child Labor

Abstract

The present paper is an attempt to analyze the terms of employment and working conditions of the child workersin the carpet weaving industry. Employer's consideration to employ child labor, area from where child workersare recruited and surety for employment after training is also included. In addition to the terms of work likemonthly wages, hours of work, rest period, provision of leave, holidays etc. The data on the working conditionsand the impact of the work on health, social behavior of the child labor, physical and welfare facilities have alsobeen discussed in this paper. An attempt has been made to highlight the nature of supervision, grievance handling,job satisfaction and other allied aspects related with the work life of the child workers. The data has beencollected from 162 child labors, 82 parents and 50 employers with the help interview schedules. Our analysisreveals that the conditions of child workers who had been working in their own family carpet weaving units wereslightly better in comparison to the employed ones. By and large, employers preferred children from lower castesat cheaper rates. Children usually work 6 to 8 hours per day. Half of the child labors were earning ` 500 to `700 per month and the rest were earning below ` 500 per month.

Key words: working conditions, health, behavior, employers, parents, wages, carpet weaving.