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 IV. - Hours in factories

Collection:: Economics Books

8 in. is al Ym re Se Le +- le 16 ve a of Hf is. he vb, er ad or ‘he ng ve of 118 - ie- be oh La ‘he to “us We ap- ble the “he wy ves we we ND HOURS IN FACTORIES, 45 regain their old standard in any reasonably short period. From the point of view of industry, the employer is entitled to claim that, until the worker 1s ready to approximate more nearly to Western standards of discipline, it is unreasonable to attempt an 8 hour day, and even an 8} hour day would involve an amount of dislocation that would be serious It may be possible. in the future, when efficiency has risen further, to go lower than 54 hours, But efficiency is not likely to be raised so surely by a sweeping reduction as by a smaller one, and there will be nothing to prevent a further reduction, if the results of the smaller change which we advocate Indicate that this is desirable. Finally, we believe that the 48 hour limit which some of our colleagues advocate could only be operative at present if great latitude was given in the matter of ex- emptions. In our view, the worker will be better protected by a limit which can only be relaxed in exceptional circumstances than by one to which many exceptions have to be attached. So far as the daily limit is concerned, we would fix this by statute at 10 hours. This will permit of working either six days of 9 hours each or five days of 10 hours with a half holiday on the sixth, and will give some elasticity. We would allow factories working on continuous processes or supplying articles of necessity which have to he supplied every day a 56 hour week, subject to their giving the operative an average week of not more than 54 hours and conforming, in respect of Kolidays, to the provisions we recommend later Views of Members Advocating a 48 Hour Week. Mr Cliff, Mr Joshi and Diwan Chaman Lall incline to the opinion that the facts, as disclosed during the tour, warrant a larger reduction of working hours than is recommended. They consider that climatic con- ditions alone, apart from other factors, dictate such a course. The con- binuance of the practice of allowing unauthorised intervals that are so striking a feature of the industries working long hours, and the attempts by employers to regulate these intervals are admissions that the worker cannot reasonably be expected to give sustained effort for such long periods as are permissible under the law. This is further borne out by the fact that, in the industries working a shorter day, the workers are expected to give and actually do give a much greater degree of continu- ous and sustained effort. It has also to be remembered that, of the organised industries, it is mainly in cotton textiles that the worker is required to work for the full statutory week of 60 hours. Tt is in this industry, which is already protected by tariffs, that, probably not with- out cause, the charges and complaints against the worker of inattention and inefficiency are greatest. If regard be had to the atmospheric conditions under which cottoy, operatives work, then it must perforce be recognised that, on physical grounds alone, the need of the worker for a shorter working day is undoubted. This industry urgently requires a higher standard of efficiency, but it is scarcely reasonable for the employers to expect a higher standard, while at the same time they are requiring of the workers unreasonably long hours. The conditions existing in many

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