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Labour Welfare
Labour Welfare
Welfare may also help minimize social evils, such as alcoholism, gambling, drug addiction
etc. A dissatisfied worker falls prey to these abuses. Welfare facilities tend to make him
happy, satisfied and confident.
Another argument in favour of welfare is that it gives a good image to the company. At the
time of recruitment, people see the organization as a good employer. This gives many
benefits to the company. It is able to recruit and retain the best employee.
After employees have been hired, trained and remunerated, they need to be retained and
maintained to serve the organization better. Welfare activities are designed to take care of the
well-being of the employees. They do not generally result in any monetary benefit to the
employees nor are these facilities provided by employers alone. Government and non-
government agencies, and trade unions too, contribute towards employee welfare. The
welfare facilities together contribute to better work.
Welfare implies doing good. Many personnel managers find these activities redundant after
spending on them for many years. The argument that these facilities improve loyalty of
employees has been exploded. If the welfare facilities are used at all, they are taken for
granted by employees.
Managers also argue the usefulness of erecting huge play grounds and recreation centres for
employees which would be used by a handful of employees for a limited time. Instead, such
facilities could be better used by community.
Some employers argue that this facility be left with government and its agencies only. They
argue further that when government provides such facilities to employees at large, why
should they be duplicating it?
It has also been said that gratitude is not a prime motivating factor. In fact, gratitude is a thing
of the past – remembered for a short time and forgotten soon after.
Labour welfare, relates to taking care of the well-being of workers by employers, trade
unions, government and non-government agencies.
It deals with the provision of opportunities for workers and his family/her family for a good
life as understood in most comprehensive sense.
The basic purpose of employee welfare is to improve the working class and thereby make
him a happy employee and good citizen.
Employee welfare is an important part of social welfare. It involves adjustment of employee‟s
work life with family life and social life.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
Voluntary measures may be both voluntary and statutory. Statutory measures are prescribed
by law whereas voluntary measures are a result of philanthropic feeling of employer.
The Labour Investigation Committee preferred to include under labour welfare “anything
done for intellectual, physical, moral and economic betterment of the workers, whether by
employers, by Government or by other agencies, over and above what is laid down by law, or
what is normally expected on the part of the contracted benefits for which workers may have
bargained.”
According to the Committee on Labour Welfare, welfare services should mean „such
services, facilities and amenities as adequate canteens, rest and recreation facilities, sanitary
and medical facilities, arrangements for travel to and from the accommodation of workers
employed at a distance from their homes and such other services, amenities and facilities
including social security measures, which contribute to conditions under which workers are
employed.‟
Labour welfare activities may be classified into two categories, viz.:
(a) Statutory welfare activities;
(b) Voluntary welfare activities.
Statutory welfare activities have to taken up by every employer as per the provisions of
various labour enactments. Such provisions may relate to working conditions, hours of work,
industrial safety and various other facilities to be provided to the workers to make their work
smooth and enjoyable.
For example, the Factories Act, 1948 provides for several welfare activities such as provision
of drinking water, cleanliness and sanitation, canteens, crèches, medical and education
facilities, first aid appliances, recreational facilities, amusement, games and sports, housing
accommodation, etc.
Voluntary welfare activities are undertaken by the employers without compulsion of any law.
They include such activities conducive to the welfare of the workers which are undertaken by
the employers on their own free will. They are also taken up by some social organisations.