Scope for employee/Labour welfare in India
- Welfare services are separated into two categories: (a) Intra-mural welfare services provided by the factory, such as bathing, drinking and washing facilities, childcare, canteen, rest areas, shelter, safety devices, and prevention of fatigue; and (b) Extra-mural welfare services provided by the establishment, such as social security measures like social insurance, social assistance, sports, recreation, and worker education.
- Cooperative credit societies, transportation, and housekeeping are all included. The term “labour welfare” refers to the provision of care for employees from birth to death, as the state insurance programme for workers covers their children’s medical needs as well as their final burial expenses. The scope of labour welfare encompasses both statutory and non-statutory welfare benefits, both of which are growing daily and, for the most part, are deemed acceptable by society.
- The overall goal of labour welfare is to reduce the stress and pressures experienced by industrial workers. It notes that employees operate in a tidy and clean atmosphere. They need to have secure working environments with little risks related to their job. They ought to be allowed to have respectable, dignified, and self-respecting lives. The scope varies from nation to nation and from sector to industry.
- According to the 1981 Census, women make up around 19% of all workers (i.e., 45 million out of 222 million). Just a tiny percentage, or 2 million, of the 45 million women worked were in the organised sector. There was no protected labour law in place for them.
- The majority of women work in the cotton textile, bide-making, clothing, rice-milling, cashew-nut, tobacco-cutting, construction, plantations, and small-scale and domestic sectors. Women are working in the electronics industry at higher rates as a result of the nation’s advancements in science and technology.
- Because labour welfare encompasses a wide range of sectors and activities, its reach is rather wide.
- Nonetheless, the researchers have enumerated the facilities covered by the scope and provided a summary:
- Environment of Work:
- A conducive work environment comprises appropriate lighting, temperature, ventilation, safety, sanitation, transportation, cleanliness, seating arrangements, and cafeteria facilities. It also helps to increase employee productivity. Maintaining a clean and hygienic workplace is essential to making it a comfortable environment for employees to work.
- It’s crucial to do the following tasks to create a comfortable workspace:
- appropriate lighting, regulated temperature, frequent cleaning, cross-ventilation via windows and doors, standing or sitting positions for working, etc.
- appropriate safety precautions for electric, hazardous, rope, crane, lift, and elevator operations.
- Enough restrooms with designated areas for men and women, as well as bathing facilities that are cleaned properly on a regular basis.
- appropriate gardening, including frequent cleaning of the surroundings and irrigation systems.
- Facilities for purifying and chilling pure drinking water.
- Excellent food quality and affordable prices are provided by well-maintained canteen services.
- Medical Establishments:
- Well-being is riches. It is essential that the necessary health facilities be kept in excellent condition to ensure the well-being of the workforce. It has the following amenities:
- A health centre should be located in the plant or at a nearby location so that employees and their families may get regular checkups.
- In the event of an emergency, ambulance service should be available at the time of the phone call.
- Free and frequent health examinations for employees as well as nutrition and health counselling are provided.
- Availability medical personnel and of physicians within the workplace for emergencies.
- Welfare amenities for women and children such as – crèches, screening for pregnancy, etc.
- Suitable sports and relaxation amenities in the site.
- Schooling, vocational training facilities and library services
- General Welfare Facilities:
- Housing facilities for workers next to the job facilities.
- Cleaning and sanitation amenities in housing facilities.
- To and fro transportation amenities for workers and their children heading for schools
- Sports facilities of indoor and outdoor in the residential setting.
- Family planning and family care counselling.
- Entertainment facilities in the campus for workers and their families.
- Transport facilities for tours, picnics and festival celebration.
- Economic Welfare Facilities:
- Subsidized consumer goods including grains, vegetables, milk, oil and other daily requirements through cooperative stores.
- Banking, postal, services and credit facilities through credit society.
- Health insurance schemes by employers free of costs.
- Regular basis bonus and profit-sharing schemes.