Employment of adolescents and children: minimum working age in Lithuanian and Polish law

ENThis chapter examines the employment of individuals under the age of 18 within the framework of Lithuanian and Polish labour laws, highlighting the requirements set by ILO Convention No 138 to establish and progressively raise the minimum age for work or employment. This approach aims to ensure alignment with the fullest physical and mental development of young individuals. The analysis is grounded in international standards that define age limits and provide guidelines for acceptable working conditions for young workers. Given the regulatory flexibility permitted by these standards, national statutory regulations display notable variations, particularly in terms of minimum age requirements and permissible employment based on psychophysical characteristics and contractual frameworks. The chapter offers a comparative analysis by identifying the differences in labour regulations between the examined countries, with a particular focus on the extent of prohibitions on work and employment. Additionally, it addresses two critical challenges in contemporary labour policies: on the one hand, the effective abolition of child labour, and on the other, ensuring the safety and proper development of working children.