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 XVII. - Trade unions

Collection:: Economics Books

328 CHAPTER XVII recommendations for all unions, but put forward a few suggestions to illustrate our meaning. An extension of the co-operative movement by the agency of trade unions seems to offer a genuine opportunity in some centres. The provision of co-operative credit and the maintenance of co-operative stores, if properly managed, would advance the economic position of the members. The need of education is universal, and the provision of adult education in small circles would be valuable in itself and would bring strength to the movement. The opening of a reading room where there would be available both books and men to read them aloud has distinct possibilities. Benefit funds are rare, and, though we recognise the difficulty attendant on the raising of any appreciable sums from Indian workmen, we feel that many could be persuaded to subscribe to a fund designed to furnish death benefits. In some industries, the Workmen’s Compensation Act provides a useful field of activity. Some unions have entered this field, but the movement as a whole has not realised the possibilities in this direction. Possibly the only union with an elaborate range of welfare activities is the Ahmedabad Textile Association to which we have already referred. This is reported to maintain two dispensaries and a hospital equipped for surgical work, with accommodation for thirty indoor patients. The expenditure on this work is in the neighbourhood of Rs. 10,000 annually. The Association maintains 23 schools, which in 1928 had 1,458 boys and 76 girls. The cost in that year was Rs. 36,000 and the Association also carried on two boarding schools maintained by subscriptions from other sources. The social betterment department of the union supplements the work of the schools by conducting evening classes in chawls to teach workers reading and writing. The union maintains a library and a reading-room for the benefit of its members. There are also travelling libraries containing several boxes of books which are circulated from centre to centre. Among the union’s other welfare activities are four physical culture centres, a volunteer corps, a cheap grain shop, restaurants, a savings bank and a Cheap Loans Department. These are all carried on mainly from the members’ subscriptions, which are collected by the mills. The millown- ers until recently also made an annual grant to the Association for educational purposes. Present Leaders. An equally urgent need is the development of leadership from within the ranks of labour. At present the unions depend for their leaders mainly on social workers, lawyers and other professional and public men. A few of these have interested themselves in the movement in order to secure private and personal ends. The majority, however, are actuated by an earnest desire to assist labour. The work involves much toil and many discouragements, is nearly always unpaid, and brings more criticism than thanks. Our survey of the position will, we hope, show sufficiently clearly how necessary the assistance of these men has been in the past. The movement could not possibly have reached its present stage without them, and for many years to come there ie likely to be a useful field of service for all who are anxious to assict.

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