HYDERABAD: The several labour laws that mandate minimum wages to be paid to the persons employed is grossly violated when it comes to children and adolescent workers in the State. This is beside the fact that they are not meant to work inside school hours. In Telangana, a child or an adolescent earn at least 60 per cent less than an average labourer.
To put this in figurative terms, a child earns Rs 2,888, a month for working eight hours a day with one-hour rest in between. Considering that an adolescent is much bigger and stronger, he is paid Rs 3,921 for the same work. But a mason or any other daily wage labourer earns an average of Rs 12,000 per month.
A study titled ‘baseline survey of working children and adolescent workers in the State of Telangana’ prepared by the centre for economic and social studies (CESS) in ten districts of the State has pointed out the indifference in wage payment across the 6-18 years age group. And, if the adolescent is from Mahbubabad, then chances are that a meagre amount of Rs 1,500 will be handed over while one in Sangareddy is expected to be paid Rs 2,611.
Joint commissioner for labour E Gangadhar and director of State resource centre said that almost all employers pay inadequately to the children and adolescent workforce. “In a majority of the cases, children and adolescent are paid less than what is, otherwise, paid normally,” he said. “But we are taking serious action by imposing a ten-time fine. That amount is being submitted to the district collectorate office. We are also making sure that the difference amount in wage payment is paid to the children,” Gangadhar pointed out.