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

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Chapter

Document type:: Monograph

Structure type:: Chapter

Title:: Chapter XI. - Transport services and public works

Collection:: Economics Books

TRANSPORT SERVICES, 187 Safety in Docks. There are at present no regulations to protect the bulk of dock workers engaged in handling cargo against the risk of accidents, nor is there any inspection by an independent authority to ensure that ade- quate precautions are taken for the safety of dock workers. The bye- laws framed by the Port Commissioners of some of the ports contain provisions for the safety of the workers, but these apply only to the em- ployees of the Port Trust and not to dock labour employed by private firms. There is no legal obligation to report the majority of accidents in docks, and investigations into accidents have to be conducted either by the Port Trust authorities, who are themselves substantial employers of labour, or by the police. Accurate statistics of accidents are not available and there would appear to be little systematic effort to devise preventive measures. In Bombay and Calcutta arrangements are made for the periodical testing of chains and slings used by contractors’ labour, and registers are maintained of all tests carried out by the port authorities. Such arrangements are not to be found in all ports, and we consider it important that a proper system should be introduced of test- ing all gear and equipment used in the handling of cargo. We understand that the matter has been under the consideration of Government in con- bection with the Draft Convention adopted by the Twelfth International Labour Conference concerning the protection against accidents of workers employed in loading or unloading ships. We recommend that legislation empowering local Governments to frame safety regulations for docks should be undertaken without delay. The regulations should be pre- pared in consultation with the Chief Inspectors of Factories, who should also be made responsible for their enforcement. The regulations should further provide for the prover reporting of all serious accidents. Howrs of Work. The hours of work of dock labour vary from port to port, and there are no restrictions either on normal working hours or on overtime. Although the excess of labour is greatest in Karachi and Rangoon, in these ports the hours of work are longest. The day shift in Karachi axtends to 12 hours in summer and to 11 in winter, with one hour's interval, while the men on the night shift work for 113 hours without a break. A proposal to reduce hours was considered by the Port Trust, but met with opposition and the Trust decided not to pursue it. It was revived by a strike which occurred immediately after our visit, but, so far as we are aware, apart from ga promise from the stevedores that they would not oppose any reduction which might be agreed to by the Port Trust, nothing has been done. In Rangoon the day as well as the night shifts are 11 hours in duration, without any interval except between the two shifts. In Madras the daily hours are also 11, but the workers are given an hour’s interval in the middle of the day. In Bombay the meri on the day shift work 9 hours and on night shift 8 hours, while in Calcutta the hours of work are between 7 a. and 5 P.M. with two tervals of half an hour each. Having regard to the heavy character

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