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 XVI. - Workmen's compensation

Collection:: Economics Books

304 CHAPTER XVI. working of the Act has been greatly facilitated by the stress which it lays on lump-sum payments. The question “of administration is one to which great importance must be attached, particularly if a large number of fresh workmen are to be brought within the scope of the Act. Quite apart from the administrative difficulty and expense of trans- ferring a series of small sums from irdustrial areas to distant villages, often in different provinces, the recipients of such sums would prob- ably be subjected in many cases to serious insonvenience, if not harass- ment, while there is a distinct danger that the sums might not reach them without some deduction. Both from the point of view of those entitled to compensation and of the administration, we consider that it would be unwise to alter the existing system. There isno great objec- tion to giving Commissioners the same powers of investment, ete., of money due to men os they at present possess in the case of women and children, but such a change is certainly not desired by workmen. and we do not recommend it. Dependants. Another unusual feature of the Act is the method of payment for fatal accidents to adults. A list of dependants is given, but the amount of compensation is independent of both the number of depen- dants and the degree of their dependence. If any relative named in the list of dependants is found, the whole of the compensation must be disbursed, even though no surviving relative was actually dependent. The Commissioner has the sole responsibility of deciding which of the dependants should receive compensation and how the compensation should be divided among them. These arbitrary provisions naturally produce anomalies in some cases; it has happened that substantial sums were given to persons who were not dependent on the deceased. But this is rare ; the great majority of adult Indian workmen leave widows and other close relations : and the absence of any requirement of proof of dependence is ordinarily a great boon to those who have the best title to compensation. Various modifications in the present system are possible and we have received a number of su ggestions, but we agree with the view of the Commissioner for Workmen’s Compensation, Bengal, that the choice lies between the maintenance of the present system and a complete change to a system such as that of the British Act, which makes compensation vary with the degree of dependence and the number of dependants and requires proof of dependence. Fach system has obvious advantages ; but we are of opinion that for India a continuance of the system at present in force is, for some time at any rate, much the wiser course. The only change we suggest is the addition of widowed sisters and widowed daughters to the list of relatives ranking as ““ dependants ”. Minimum and Maximum Scales. In respect of the actual scales, we are of opinion that a subs- tantial enhancement is desirable, in the case both of the more poorly paid workmen and of those in receipt of high wages. The present minimum is so low as to be practically inoperative. for the adult

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