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 III. - The employment of the factory worker

Collection:: Economics Books

THE EMPLOYMENT OF THE FACTORY WORKER, 35 immediate hardship often caused by the introduction of higher stand- ards. Ordinarily improvements in efficiency are best effected gradu- ally, and the high rate of turnover at present characteristic of Indian factories simplifies the problem of reducing numbers without dismiss- als. Cases, however, arise where urgent retrenchment is required on a scale which demands a large reduction in numbers, and it should be recognised that, in such cases, the workers discharged have a claim for some measure of relief. Where any comprehensive scheme of re- duction is contemplated in an industry, the introduction of a joint scheme of unemployment insurance should be considered. The Fawcett Com- mittee of 1928-29 outlined a proposal of this character for the Bombay cotton mills which we commend to all employers who find themselves faced with this problem. Employment Exchanges. Measures such as these will not provide an effective remedy for any general unemployment resulting from a time of economic stress such as that in which we are writing, and we have examined the Ppossi- bility of dealing with this in a comprehensive way. Here we are handi- capped by the complete absence of statistics. In no centre in India, so far as we are aware, is it possible to say how many industrial workers are unable to secure employment ; information is equally lacking regard- ing the number of such workers who may be in the villages awaiting the return of better times. It has been suggested that, apart from any other advantages, the establishment of employment bureaux would provide means for measuring the extent of the trouble. We cannot accept this view, for we do not believe that a bureau, which was unable to offer any definite relief to persons genuinely unemployed, would provide any index to their numbers. Even if bureaux could offer prospects of em- ployment to a proportion, it would be impossible for them to maintain accurate registers of the unemployed. As regards the other services which State bureaux could render, it is scarcely necessary to point out that they could not affect the volume of employment and could only increase the mobility of labour. In the present position of Indian in- dustry, it is most unlikely that they would be in a position to offer an appreciable number of vacancies unless employers were compelled to recruit through them. Such compulsion is possible in special cases, such as shipping, but so far as industry generally is concerned, we do not regard it as practicable under present conditions. The maintenance by employers in a single industry and centre of a joint bureau for recruit- ment offers less practical difficulty. Such bureaux, not in the industrial centres but in the areas from which the workers are drawn, might have served a useful Purpose in the past. We do not think that it would be wise to start them af 5 time when most factory owners can find suffi- cient labour at the gate The Relief of Unemployment, .. So far as the relief of the unemployed is concerned, we received some Suggestions for the establishment of a statutory system of 29

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