Class 6 Civics

Urban Livelihood: Casual Workers

A large number of workforce works as casual worker in numerous private companies and in factories. Their job is not permanent. Most of them get paid according to the amount of work done by them. To understand this, let us take an example of a worker who works in a garment factory.

Worker in a garment factory

The worker in the garment factory works on a sewing machine. His job is to stitch cloths. He works 12 hours every day. As per convention, an eight-hour work day is normal in most of the countries. So, a longer workday must be tiring for the worker.

The worker in the garment factory gets job when there is demand for work. During lean seasons, the worker may be jobless. Thus, the worker is not able to earn money during lean season.

Working conditions in most of such factories is horrible. There is space crunch, low lighting and poor ventilation in such factories. The wages are very low.

If the worker complains of working conditions, he may be asked to leave the job. Moreover, the worker does not get social security benefits; like pension, medical benefits or leave.

Daily Wage Earners

The number of daily wage earners is even higher. Most of the people who do not have any skill have to work as daily wage earners.

In many cities, you will find a labour chowk. This is the area where labourers converge early in the morning. They go there in the hope of finding some work. They are willing to do any kind of work. They may help a mason at construction site. They may load and unload a truck. They may opt for some cleaning job or some digging job.

Most of the daily wage earners fail to find work on most of the days in a given year. Almost all the daily wage earners are migrants, i.e. they have come from far flung areas in search of job. The high house rent and cost of living takes away most of their earnings. They are able to save only a meager amount. All the saving is sent back to their home to support their families.

Shopkeepers

You will a variety of shops in cities; selling different kinds of items. Some shops are big, while some others are small. Most of the shops are owned by individuals. Now-a-days, some big companies have also opened a chain of shops throughout the country. In case of a small shop, the owner and his family members do most of the tasks. In case of big shops, you will find many employees.

Vendors

People who do not have a permanent shop are called vendors. They either use a pushcart or spread their wares on the pavement. But a vendor’s life can be very difficult. Vendors often have to wind up their shops when police asks them to do so.

Vendors also create a nuisance by blocking footpaths and roads. This results in problems for pedestrians and vehicles. So, many people protest at vendors occupying the roadsides.

Everyone has the right to livelihood and so do the vendors. The government is working on this issue. The government is trying to mark some areas especially for vendors. Care is also being taken to prevent conflicts between vendors and general public.

Service Providers

There are many service providers in the city. A service provider does not sell any goods. The service providers offer different types of services to their customers. Hair cutting, courier service, tuition classes, chartered accountancy, healthcare, etc. are examples of services.

Delivery Boys

With the rise of e-commerce companies, delivery boys have become quite conspicuous by their presence. When you order an item to an e-commerce website or app, a delivery boy comes to deliver the item.

Delivery boys work under very tough condition. They have to negotiate through busy traffic to deliver on time. They often have to work well past midnight. They get meagre salary. They are considered as gag workers.

A worker who does economic activity that is out of the scope of traditinal definition of employment is called a gag worker.