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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Document type:: Monograph

Structure type:: Chapter

Title:: Chapter X. - Railways - continued

Collection:: Economics Books

RAILWAYS. 163 or efficiency. It may, and in certain circumstances should, be met by the working of short time, the stoppage of recruiting, the operation of normal wastage or the retirement of staff taking their gratuity and pro- vident fund. It may be possible to arrange for the transfer of individuals bo other departments or other railways on similar or even reduced rates of pay. Reductions in staff as a rule affect more individuals than one and, where necessary, other things being equal, the principle of seniority should apply. Already on several railways registers are maintained of men discharged on reduction and transfers effected with other” depart- ments. We should like to see this practice universally adopted, but, in addition, we would emphasise the necessity of careful preparation in advance of programmes of maintenance and construction in order to ensure stability of employment as far as possible and so mitigate the hardships that reductions entail. In this connection we are informed that the Railway Board, in issuing the recently revised rules regulating the discharge and dismissal of state railway non-gazetted servants, recommended that any instance where it was proposed at one time to effect a comparatively large reduction of staff, say, 100 employees or more, the recognised trade union representing the interests of such em- ployees should be informed of the proposal as early as possible, with a general statement of the reasons for the intended reduction. Labour Turnover. : We have been supplied with figures of dismissals, of discharges ander reduction and otherwise, of labour turnover and of absenteeism on different railways and in different departments, but these have been compiled on so many different bases and the explanations given are so varied that we are not prepared to draw definite conclusions therefrom. We are satisfied, however, that in many departments of railway service the figures of discharges, turnover and absenteeism are higher than they should be in properly organised establishments, even after taking into account the special conditions obtaining in this country. A large proportion of railway workers, particularly the unskilled classes, are drawn from agriculture, and many of the gangmen and others return to such work, especially at sowing and harvesting times. Unauthorised absence amongst the lower grades appears to be a material factor in all the returns of labour turnover. We have already referred to the question of workmen overstaying authorised leave, and recommend that proper records should be kept to permit of a thorough examination of the whole problem with the object of improving the present posi- on. In cases where workers are employed temporarily, we are in favour of a record of their service being maintained, wherever practicable, With a view to their being given priority for permanent employment. Works Committees and Employment Officers. We have already referred to questions of discharges and dis- missals and of disciplinary action, and have dealt with the rights of ndividual workers to appeal in such matters to the district officer ind the head of the department concerned and, in certain cases, to the v2

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