Report of the Royal Commission on Labour in India

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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

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Chapter

Document type:: Monograph

Structure type:: Chapter

Title:: Chapter IX. - Railways

Collection:: Economics Books

RAILWAYS, 143 have laid it down that “ no step should be taken which would produce a.sudden and violent dislocation in the economic life of the Anglo-Indian community ” and that “ in order to avert this danger, care must be taken in the preparation of schemes for recruitment to the subordinate rail- way services, not to impose conditions which would in effect seriously restrict the opportunities of employment on the Indian Railways which Anglo-Indians at present enjoy.” Our difficulty in dealing with this question is that both of these principles are based on considerations which lie entirely outside our scope. They have been evolved with reference not to labour but to political issues. In consequence, we are not in a position to review the question as a whole ; this must be the concern. of those who are responsible for general policy, 4.e., of the framers of the constitution, of Governments and of legislatures. We would urge, however, in the interests of labour, the importance of doing all that is possible to remove what is at present a constant source of discontent and bitterness. The Government of India recognise that the second of the two principles does not stand in the same category as the first, in that the elimiation of the discrimination involved in it is their definite policy. We believe it to be in the interests of all concerned that definite steps be now taken which will lead in a specified term of years to the progressive elimination of any form of discrimination as regards both appointments and promotions to all grades and classes, thus providing simultaneously for an Increasing number of appointments and promotions of members of other communities. All communities would then know precisely where they stood and every year would thus see progress towards elimination. Holidays and Leave. We now turn to questions relating to holidays and leave, The position is complicated by the partial application of the Fundamental Rules and the introduction of various sets of leave periods that differ, not only between railway and railway but also between similar depart- ments in the same railway. The distinctions drawn between higher and lower grades are very marked, as also are those between monthly and daily-rated servants. In the large workshops where, as a rule, labourers are on daily rates of pay, it is customary to allow workers about 15 holi- days on full pay : on one railway the number falls as low as 6, in another it rises to 20, and in yet, another regular attendance may result in 29 holidays on full pay, inaddition to the prescribed weekly rest day and some local holidays for which no pay is given. In one large workshop workers employed on monthly rates have leave determined according to scales of pay ; a worker of one year’s service drawing less than Rs. 21 monthly is not eligible for Jeave, but in common with others gets 15 holidays with. out deduction of pay; a worker in receipt of Rs. 45 monthly or over is eligible for 15 days’ casual leave annually on full pay, one day’s privilege leave on full pay for eleven days’ duty, sick leave on half pay and special leave not exceeding six months on half pay. Yet in a similar large workshop not many miles away under the same administration, the same

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