13
The Right of Children Laborers to Social Insurance
What Do We Mean With Social Insurance?
Social insurance is a sum of money given to the worker in cases of unemployment, disability, sickness or retirement. Part of the workers’ wages is regularly taken off for his insurance. Moreover, employers also pay another part of this insurance. Every worker has the right to social insurance without distinction.
Why Are Children Farm Workers Deprived Of Insurance Rights?
Our problem is that children laborers less than fifteen years old and children laborers in the agrarian sector of any age have no social insurance though they face the same work conditions that other laborers face. There are obstacles that prevent children laborers in agrarian sector from enjoying the right of social insurance:
· Agricultural laborers work on seasonal activities. Therefore, it is difficult to decide what kind of insurance may be suitable for them.
· The agricultural laborers especially children do not sign labor contracts with employers. Consequently, employers can avoid any commitment towards them, including social insurance.
· Children laborers do not usually work for the same employer for long, making it difficult to decide for whom they work and who should pay their insurance subscription fees.
What Is the Way-Out?
· It is necessary to write contracts for children laborers in the agrarian sector, regulating the relationship between laborers and their employers.
· The government should keep documents on land holdings, and the number of workers needed to carry out the job in every plot. In this way, employers can be forced to pay the amount of insurance subscription fees for the workers employed on a monthly or seasonal basis.
· The job contractors should be obligated to register the names of the workers they recruit and send them regularly to the concerned government departments to determines the value of insurance for workers.
· Determining the value of insurance according to categorical classification upon which wages are determined:
- Less than (7-15) years “light works”….. A minimum of seven Egyptian pounds as a daily wage.
- From (15-18) years “ordinary works”…. A minimum of ten Egyptian pounds as a daily wage.
- From 18 years “dangerous works”…. A minimum of fifteen Egyptian pounds as a daily wage.
The LCHR calls on all people of concern to look into the above recommendations with adequate interest in order to protect the right of children to social insurance.