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 XXI. - Wages on planatations

Collection:: Economics Books

6 CHAPTER XXI. areas, would go far to break down the prevailing system of taking advances from the maistry at the time of recruitment. In view of their general indebtedness, few workers can resist the immediate offer of money in the hand or visualise the ultimate consequences to themselves of the ready acceptance of such offers, We feel, however, that any system of payment which, as we believe to be the case here, tends to encourage rather than to discourage this habit is to be deprecated. Nor can we approve a method of payment which precludes the worker from sending home sums of money from time to time for the support of such depen- dents as do not accompany him to the plantation. In discussing in- debtedness we have made recommendations relating to the regular and prompt payment of wages, the recovery of recruiting costs, including the sost of transit, and restrictions on the recovery of advances. These are intended also for application to plantation labour. They should be of especial value in South Indian plantations in improving the independence, sconomic position and bargaining power of the workers. Note oN WaGE-FIXING MACHINERY IN Assam BY SIR ALEXANDER MURRAY. The question of wage-fixing machinery in Assam is discussed at sonsiderable length in this chapter. While I agree that the creation of such machinery is desirable, I think it necessary to state the special considerations which have led me to this conclusion. The Indian Tea Association in its memorandum stated that, as so few labourers work the full number of days, it considered that the statutory establishment of a minimum wage is unnecessary and would be difficult to enforce. It also drew attention to the fact that a large percentage of the labour force sultivate land of their own and are in a different position from industrial workers who are dependent on their earnings for their livelthood. The representatives of the Association who gave evidence before us stated that adjustments of wages were left to the District Sub-Committees of the Assam Branches. Only superintendents and managers of gardens are eligible to serve on these Committees and a suggestion made by one of our members that they might co-opt suitable representatives of labour and possibly Government officials to determine the minimum wage or the common standard for the districts was considered worthy of con- sideration by the representatives of the Association who stated that, if they had a scheme put before them, they would consider it. They, however, did not consider that conditions on tea estates were so unsatis- factory, as compared with other industries in India and with those in the districts from which the labour emigrates, as to necessitate such a scheme in Assam. The scheme now put forward in the Report gives details of matters that require consideration but, in my opinion, more attention should be given to the objections and difficulties indicated by the repre- sentatives of the Association and the planters in their evidence before us. Apart from difficulties arising out of differences within the estates them- selves, these representatives took objection to singling out tea specially and Assam tea in particular for the introduction of an innovation in the

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