Labour welfare

An overview of Labor welfare -scope ,objectives and principles to get the basic idea .

1. LABOUR WELFARE –SCOPE, OBJECTIVES AND PRINCIPLES BY Mounika Ramachandruni

2. Introduction The concept of labour welfare embraces a multitude of activities including all extra-mural, intra-mural activities, as well as statutory and non-statutory welfare measures undertaken by the employees, the government and the trade unions to help workers and their families in the context of their industrial life.

3. Origin and Growth of Labour Welfare The concept of labour welfare originated in the desire for a humanitarian approach to ameliorate the sufferings of the workers and their families undesirable social consequences and the labour problems which have evolved in the process of transition from tradition to modernity. Later it became a utilitarian philosophy which worked as a motivating force for labour and for those who were interested in it. Lastly , labour welfare received inspiration from the evolution of the social thought in regard to democracy and welfare state.

4. Meaning of Labour Welfare Labour welfare means the voluntary efforts made by the employer to provide better conditions of employment in their own industries. Its main object is to secure an improved standard of living for the workers, which effects on the worker’s psychology and results in an increase in their productive efficiencies . According to  Industrial Labour Organisation ( ILO) : “Labor welfare may be understood and including such services facilities and amenities which may be established in vicinity of undertaking to perform their work in healthy and congenial environment and to avail of facilities which improve their health and bring high morale .”

5. Objectives Of Labour Welfare Enabling workers to live richer and more satisfactory lives. Contributing to the productivity of labour and efficiency of the enterprise. Enhancing the standard of living of workers by indirectly reducing the burden on their purse. Enabling workers to live in peace and harmony. Fostering administratively viable and essential developmental outlook among the workforce and Discharging social responsibilities.

6. Principles Of Labour Welfare Certain fundamental Principles are involved in the concept of labour welfare. The following are the more important among them ( Kohli and Sharma, 1997 ) : Principle of Social Responsibility Principle of Democratic Values Principle of Adequacy of Wages Principle of Efficiency Principle of Co- responsibility Principle of Totality of Welfare Principle of Re-personalization Principle of Co-ordination or Integration

7. Principle of Social Responsibility Industries have a social responsibility towards the society. Social responsibility means the obligations of the industry to pursue those policies, to take such decisions and to follow those lines of action that are desirable in terms of the objectives and values currently prevailing in the society. Industry is expected to win the co-operation of the workers, provide them security of employment, fair wage and equal opportunity for personal growth and advancement, and make welfare facilities available to them.

8. Principle of Democratic Values The principle of democratic values of labour welfare concedes that workers may have certain unmet needs for no fault of their own, that industry has an obligation to render them help in gratifying those needs, and that workers have a right of determining the manner in which these needs can be met and of participation in the administration of the mechanism of need gratification. The underlying assumption to this approach is that the worker is a mature and rational individual who is capable of taking decisions for himself/herself.

9. Principle of Adequacy of Wages The third principle of labour welfare is adequacy of wages, it implies that labour welfare measures are not a substitute for wages. It will be wrong to argue that since workers are given a variety of labour welfare service, they need to be paid low wages. Right to adequate wage is beyond dispute.

10. Principle of Efficiency The fourth principle of labour welfare lays stress on the dictum that to cultivate welfare is to cultivate efficiency. Even those who deny any social responsibility for industry, do accept that an enterprise must introduce all such labour welfare measures that promote efficiency (Marshall 1950 ). It has been often mentioned that workers education and training, housing, and diet are the three most important aspects of labour welfare, which always accentuate labour efficiency.

11. Principle of Co- responsibility The sixth principle of labour welfare recognizes that the responsibility for labour welfare lies in both employers and workers and not on employers alone ( Moorthy , 1958). Labour welfare measures are likely to be of little success unless mutuality of interest and responsibilities are accepted and understood by both the parties, in particular the quality of responsibility at the attitudinal and organizational level.

12. Principle of Totality of Welfare The final principle of labour welfare is that the concept of labour welfare must permeate throughout the hierarchy of an organization and accepted by all levels of functionaries in the enterprise.

13. Principle of Re-personalization The development of the human personality is given here as the goal of industrial welfare which according to this principle should counteract the baneful effects of the industrial system. Therefore, it is necessary to implement labour welfare facilities both inside and outside the factory, that is provide intramural and extramural labour welfare facilities.

14. Principle of Co-ordination or Integration This Principle plays an important role in the success of welfare services. Welfare is a total concept. From this angle, a co-ordinated approach will promote healthy development of the worker in his work, home and community. This is essential for the sake of harmony and continuity in labour welfare facilities.

15. Conclusion The concept of labour welfare embraces a multitude of activities including all extra-mural, intra-mural activities to help workers and their families in the context of their industrial life. It is, therefore, concluded that labour welfare is a convenient term to cover all those aspects of industrial life which contribute to the well being of a worker.