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 XVIII. - Industrial disputes

Collection:: Economics Books

342 CHAPTER XVIII, is a strong tendency for the intermediary, who is responsible for trans- mitting both orders and complaints, to colour them in the process from his own particular point of view. The result in many factories is that the worker feels that it is useless for him to appeal to any authority higher than the man immediately above him. This is especially true where the management is imperfectly acquainted with the language of the men; in many factories the sardar or mukaddam owes much of his power to the fact that no onc above him speaks fluently the tongue common to him and the men under him. In all cases, it is of primary importance that those responsible for management should be both able and eager to secure contact as direct as possible between themselves and the humblest of their emplovees. Means of Establishing Contact. In considering, therefore, what can be done to prevent mis- understanding and disputes, it is necessary to begin with the individual industrial establishment. No machinery of a more comprehensive or external character can hope to repair the loss which arises from the ab- sence of a proper understanding within the factory or mine. It is conse- quently important that, where the scale of an establishment does not permit of detailed labour administration by its head in person, some method should be devised to meet the needs of the case. There are three possible lines, by mo means mutually exclusive, which suggest themselves in this connection. With two of these we have already dealt. The development of stable trade unions, with access to those responsible for the management is the most obvious need. But this development is not likely to be rapid, and while the employer can do something to en- courage it, his powers are limited. The second method is the appoint- ment, of labour officers. The functions of such officers have been dis- cussed in our review of conditions in factories and have heen referred to again in connection with mines, and it is unnecessary to repeat them hare Formation of Works Committees. The third possible method is the formation of works committees. The comparatively small measure of success achieved by the experiments in this direction has raised doubts regarding the suitability of works committees to Indian conditions. In the minds of many employers there is the belief that works committees will provide a substitute for trade anions, while these are regarded by trade union leaders as rival institu- tions deserving of no encouragement. We believe that, if they are given proper encouragement and past errors are avoided, works commit- bees can play a useful part in the Indian industrial system. The defective education of the Indian worker puts a handicap on these committees which is not present in the West. We have referred to the works committees in operation in two mills in Madras, and in the chapter on railways we have dealt at length with this subject. What needs emphasis here is that, where there is a trade union, the em- ployer should seek its collaboration and co-operation in the estab- lishment and working of these committees. which should not be regarded

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