Report of the Royal Commission on Labour in India

Bibliographic data

Monograph

Identifikator:: 1850495947

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-233603

Document type:: Monograph

Title:: Report of the Royal Commission on Labour in India

Place of publication:: London

Publisher:: His Majesty's Stationery Off.

Year of publication:: 1931

Scope:: xviii, 580 S.; graph. Darst., Kt.

Digitisation:: 2022

Collection:: Economics Books

Usage license:: Get license information via the feedback formular.

Chapter

Document type:: Monograph

Structure type:: Chapter

Title:: Chapter VIII. - Mines

Collection:: Economics Books

122 CHAPTER VIII. working. At present attention is apt to be concentrated on the question of the gross output, without much reference to the output obtained by the individual miner. We believe that the latter question is one of the most important, not merely in the interest of the miner himself, but in the interests of the industry as a whole. Payment for Standard Output. We have dealt with the possibility of securing more regular work ; but there are two aspects to the case and it should be recognised that the miner on his part has cause for complaint. Practically all work at the mines is paid by the piece, the unit for coal cutters and loaders being the tub. The remuneration of both depends, therefore, on the number of tubs that can be filled ; but there are many causes lying outside the worker’s control, which may prevent him from securing an adequate day’s wage. Examples of such causes are deficiency of tubs, difficult working places, long leads, stone and shale and mechanical breakdowns, An allowance on these grounds is sometimes paid, but this is by no means universal. For example, we found in the Giridih field instances where a miner in a day of 12 hours could produce no more than one small bub of coal. Statutory provision is necessary to ensure that the worker, whose wages fall short from causes outside his control, shall not be penalised. We recognise the difficulty of making provisions of this kind without offering encouragement to the slack or incompetent worker, but our conclusion is that statutory distinction between the causes of short output is impracticable and that the manage- ment is in a position to protect itself against deliberate idling. Our recommendation is that every worker on piece-work who goes under- ground shall automatically be credited, for purposes of payment, with a certain minimum output for every shift of eight hours or more worked. Under the present system this minimum output would be expressed in tubs. We should leave to an authority well acquainted with local conditions, the amount of this guaranteed minimum output and also the determination of the area over which the same rate should apply. The standard fixed should in no case exceed the normal daily output of a man of average skill and industry. Beinganxiousto avoid setting up new authorities where existing bodies will serve the purpose, we consider that the Mining Boards might be utilised for this purpose over the areas which they cover, provided that, whatever the constitution of the Boards for other purposes, they contain an equal number of representa- tives of employers and workers when sitting to determine standards. It will be necessary for these Boards to frame rules to prevent abuse of the provision recommended in this paragraph. Sir Alexander Murray is unable to accept the recommendation contained in this paragraph. He draws a distinction between difficulties which are due to hard working places and other causes incidental to mining operations in all collieries, and those which are due to temporary shortages of tubs. The former difficulties can be provided for, and, so far as he is aware, are generally met, by special rates or allowances. As

Access restriction

Copyright

fullscreen: Report of the Royal Commission on Labour in India

Monograph

Chapter

Table of contents

Download

Monograph

Chapter

This page

Image fragment

Citation links

Citation recommendation