LABOUR WELFARE – BY

Mounika
SCOPE, OBJECTIVES Ramachandruni

AND PRINCIPLES
 The concept of labour welfare embraces a multitude
of activities including all extra-mural, intra-mural
activities, as well as statutory and non-statutory

Introduction 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.
  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
Origin and problems which have evolved in the process of
transition from tradition to modernity.
Growth of
 Later it became a utilitarian philosophy which
worked as a motivating force for labour and for
Labour
those who were interested in it.

Welfare  Lastly, labour welfare received inspiration from

the evolution of the social thought in regard to
democracy and welfare state.
  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
Meaning of improved standard of living for the workers, which
effects on the worker’s psychology and results in an
Labour increase in their productive efficiencies.

 According to Industrial Labour Organisation (ILO)

Welfare :“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.”
  Enabling workers to live richer and more
satisfactory lives.

 Contributing to the productivity of labour and

efficiency of the enterprise.
Objectives Of
 Enhancing the standard of living of workers by
Labour indirectly reducing the burden on their purse.

 Enabling workers to live in peace and harmony.

Welfare
 Fostering administratively viable and essential
developmental outlook among the workforce and

 Discharging social responsibilities.

 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

Principles Of
Principle of Adequacy of Wages
Labour
Principle of Efficiency
Welfare Principle of Co- responsibility

Principle of Totality of Welfare

Principle of Re-personalization

Principle of Co-ordination or Integration

 Benefits to
employers

Benefits to
Benefits to
the Society
the
Labour /
Workers
Employee
  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
Principle of terms of the objectives and values currently prevailing in
the society.
Social
 Industry is expected to win the co-operation of the
Responsibility workers, provide them security of employment, fair
wage and equal opportunity for personal growth and
advancement, and make welfare facilities available to
them.
  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
Principle of workers have a right of determining the manner in
which these needs can be met and of participation in
Democratic the administration of the mechanism of need
gratification.
Values
 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.
  The third principle of labour welfare is adequacy of
Principle of wages, it implies that labour welfare measures are
not a substitute for wages. It will be wrong to argue
Adequacy of that since workers are given a variety of labour

Wages welfare service, they need to be paid low wages.

Right to adequate wage is beyond dispute.
  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
Principle of must introduce all such labour welfare measures that
promote efficiency (Marshall 1950).
Efficiency
 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.
  The sixth principle of labour welfare recognizes
that the responsibility for labour welfare lies in both
employers and workers and not on employers alone
Principle of (Moorthy, 1958). Labour welfare measures are

Co- likely to be of little success unless mutuality of

interest and responsibilities are accepted and
responsibility understood by both the parties, in particular the
quality of responsibility at the attitudinal and
organizational level.
  The final principle of labour welfare is that the
Principle of concept of labour welfare must permeate

Totality of throughout the hierarchy of an organization and

accepted by all levels of functionaries in the
Welfare enterprise.
  The development of the human personality is given
Principle of here as the goal of industrial welfare which
according to this principle should counteract the
Re-
baneful effects of the industrial system. Therefore,
personalizati it is necessary to implement labour welfare facilities
both inside and outside the factory, that is provide
on
intramural and extramural labour welfare facilities.
  This Principle plays an important role in the success
Principle of of welfare services. Welfare is a total concept. From
this angle, a co-ordinated approach will promote
Co-
healthy development of the worker in his work,
ordination or home and community. This is essential for the sake
of harmony and continuity in labour welfare
Integration
facilities.
 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
Conclusion 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.