Introduction

“During the pre-independence period, industrial relations policy of the British

Government was one of laissez faire and also of selective intervention. There were
hardly any labour welfare schemes. After independence, labour legislations have
formed the basis for industrial relations and social security. These legislations have
also provided machinery for bipartite and tripartite consultations for settlement of
disputes.
Soon after independence, the government at a tripartite conference in December
1947 adopted the industrial truce resolution. Several legislations, including the
following, were enacted to maintain industrial peace and harmony: FactoriesAct,
1948, Employees State Insurance Act, 1948 and Minimum Wages Act, 1948. The
payment of bonus act was passed in 1965.
In the early 1990s, the process of economic reforms was set in motion when the
government introduced a series of measures to reduce control on industries,
particularly large industries. The workers have opposed economic liberalisation
policy for fear of unemployment while entrepreneurs have welcomed it in the hope of
new opportunities to improve Indian industries. The new economic policy has
directly affected industrial relations in the country, because the government has to
play a dual role, one of protecting the interest of the workers, and second to allow a
free interplay of the market forces. Economic reforms, by removing barriers to entry,
have created competitive markets. Fiscal stabilisation has resulted in drastic
reduction in budgetary support to the public sector commercial enterprises while
exposing these enterprises to increased competition from private sector.
Labour and Labour Welfare sub-sector consists of six main programmes viz. Labour
Administration, Rehabilitation of bonded labour, Assistance to Labour Cooperatives,
Craftsmen training programme, Apprenticeship training programme, Employment
Services and Sanjay Gandhi Swavalamban Yojana.

Manpower, employment policy and labour welfare in India: post-independence

developments:

Many researches has been done in the following themes, such as

1. Manpower: trends and magnitude.

2. Employment policies and programmes.

3. Labour welfare: legal framework and initiatives.

4. Women workers: legislations and empowerment.

5. Industrial relations and labour laws.

6. Restructuring of labour laws: the great debate.

7. Labour laws and welfare: India and ILO.

8. Labour reforms: India and WTO. II. India’s Five Year Plans at a glance. III. Edited
extracts from India’s Five Year Plans on employment and labour related matters (I
plan to X plan including mid-term appraisal of the X Plan).

Strengthening of Medical wing of the Directorate of Industrial Safety and

Health

There are different types of industries in Maharashtra like heavy and light
engineering, heavy and light chemicalindustries, petrochemicals, pesticides,
fertilizers, textile and Electronic Industries. All these pose their own potential
hazards, which may cause acute and chronic side effects on the health of the workers.
In Maharashtra, the chemicalfactories which include heavy chemical complexes or
small chemical factories which may produce acute effects on the health of the
workers to such an extent that it may result in death. Pesticides spilled on the body of
the workers are equally dangerous.

Improvement of communications, mobility of Factory Inspectors

For the quick transmission of messages relating to factory accidents, gas leaks, fires
and disasters in the area a broad network of office/ residential telephones is an
essential-requisite for the Factory Inspector, the concerned Dy.Chief Inspector
of Factories, the Chief Inspector and from C.I.F.to higher authorities. Quick
transmission of such messages to the area Factory Inspector and others not only
facilitates a prompt inquiry into the mishap and its causes but also enables the
concerned authorities to bring into action the various control measures in the case of
disaster. An outlay for Tenth Five Year Plan 2002-2007 is Rs.150.00 lakh. Out of
that an outlay Rs.5.00 lakh is provided for Annual Plan 2002-2003.

Tribal sub-plan area

Labour and labour welfare

Labour sector addresses multi-dimensional socio-economic aspects affecting labour

welfare, productivity, living standards of labour force and social security. To raise
living standards of the work force and achieve higher productivity, skill up gradation
through suitable training is of utmost importance. Manpower development to
provide adequate labour force of appropriate skills and quality to different sectors is
essential for rapid socioeconomic development. Employment generation in all the
productive sectors is one of the basic objectives. In this context, efforts are being
made for providing the environment for self-employment both in urban and rural
areas. During the Ninth Plan period, elimination of undesirable practices such as
child labour, bonded labour, and aspects such as ensuring workers’ safety and social
security, looking after labour welfare and providing of the necessary support
measures for sorting out problems relating to employment of both men and women
workers in different sectors has received priority attention.

The Central Board of Workers Education through its regional offices is striving to
educate the workers to help to avoid wasteful expenditure, adopting cost
effectiveness and by enhancing productivity of qualitative nature. They have been
conducting the following programmes:

Rural Awareness Programme.

Functional Adult Literacy Classes.
Short-term programmes for the unorganised sector to educate them on their rights,
ethics and hygiene.
Participative Management.
??Orientation Courses for Rural Educators.
Leadership Development Programme for Rural Workers.
Labour research and training

V.V. Giri National Labour Institute, a fully funded autonomous body of the Ministry
of Labour, conducts action-oriented research and provides training to grass root level
workers in the trade union movement, both in the urban and rural areas, and also to
officers dealing with industrial relations, personal management, labour welfare, etc.
The Institute completed the following research projects during 1999-2000:

??Dynamics of Labour Market: Kerala.

??Women and labour Market.

??Labour laws, contractual parameters and conditions of construction workers.

??Adverse sex ratio and female labour force participation.

??Wage determination in rural labour force markets.

??Information on requirements for rural labour.

The following study was however of utmost significance??“Study on payment of

wages wholly in kind and perceptions regarding Mode of payment: A study in
selected States”. This Study was undertaken in pursuance of directions of the
Committee of Secretaries at a meeting held on1.4.99 for the purpose of amendment
to the Minimum Wages Act, 1948. The study was completed in four states, viz. Tamil
Nadu, Maharashtra, Bihar and Punjab.

Conclusion and Main Thrust Areas

(i) Modernisation of Existing Trades,

(ii) Maximum utilisation of Existing Infrastructure,

(iii) Creating facilities for Training of Instructors,

(iv) Creation of Post of Training and Placement Officer to facilitate placement of ITI
pass-outs and to promote better interaction with industries.

(v) Implementation of Government decision to established ITIs at each Taluka and

promotes women’s Participation in C.T.S. training.

(vi) Creation of additional Training facilities in the popular trades under Apprentice
ship Act, 1961.

(vii) Creation of INTERNET facilities to develop better MIS.

Reference:
India: Manpower, Employment Policy and Labour Welfare: 1947 to
2007/edited by K. Narindar Jetli. New Delhi, New Century, 2006, xxvi, 508 p.,
tables, ISBN 81-7708-112-8.
Courtesy: Planning commission of India