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 XI. - Transport services and public works

Collection:: Economics Books

TRANSPORT SERVICES. 1856 Commissioners. The establishments maintained by the latter at the coal berths and tea warehouses are recruited after personal inspec- sion by the Deputy Jetty Superintendent. The labour supplied by the contractor is recruited chiefly from Bihar and the United Provinces through sardars. For handling heavy cargo and certain other classes of work the contractors employ monthly paid labour working in gangs of 20 men each under a sardar but paid individually by the firm. Most of the work is paid on the piece-work system through sardars, who maintain gangs of from 40 to 100 men each and who are paid accord: ing to the tonnage handled by their gangs. The earnings of eac gang are distributed among the men by the sardar who deducts half an anna in the rupee as his share, except where he himself is a working member in the gang, in which case he retains two shares, one for his work and the other as his commission. The representatives of the firm of contractors stated in evidence that their agents maintain personal touch with the men to prevent unauthorised deductions by the sardar. In Rangoon, with the exception of 30 labourers employed in the ware- houses who are on monthly wages, no dock labourers are employed on the staff of the Port Commissioners. The work of loading and unlead- ing ships at wharves and jetties is given out on contract for which fenders are invited. The present firm of contractors are paid on the basis o tonnage loaded and shipped. They maintain a permanent, establish- ment of 250 men who are paid monthly wages, but in addition engage casual labour at daily rates as required. The maistries or sardars and labourers are paid separately by the contractors. In Madras, the Port Trust employ a small departmental staff of two or three hundred ten in their sheds, but most of the handling of cargo is done by contract labour. Besides the labour employed by or on behalf of the Port Trusts, there is the labour employed by shipping companies or stevedores. Here, too, the main feature is the absence of direct employment. The shipping companies or stevedores employ foremen, known variously as tndals, mukaddams, gang maistries, jemadars, joliwalas, or sardars. Each of these brings one or more gangs of dock labourers who work ander his supervision and receive their wages from him. The shipping sompanies or stevedores pay the foreman for the work done and leave it to him to distribute the amount among his men. In Rangoon and sometimes also in other ports, it is the recognised practice for the fore- man to increase his own earnings by employing fewer men in the gang than the number specified and paid for by the company. Unemployment and Under-employment. ._. The main problem in connection with dock labour is that of mimmising the hardships due to unemployment or under-employment. The unemployed may not appear, as in the West, at * calling-on-stands *’, out they are to be found in their lodgings, in the streets or at the dock Jates seeking employment. In Karachi, we were informed that the depressed condition of the export trade, which fell from 2,070,000 tons in 1924-25 to 661,000 tons in 1928-29, has led to general retrenchment in office and labour staffs. Tabourers comolained that thev were unable

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