INDUSTRIES

LABOUR ORGANISATION

The growth of labour organisations is one of the factors contributing to increased industrial efficiency. The workers in the district in early days had no unions for securing a common end by concerted action. One essential condition for the growth of trade unionism is the existence of a class of wage earners divorced from the ownership of the means of production. Most of the factory workers are agricultural labourers and hence they do not have the same attachment to the industries where they work as would otherwise be the case. The Buldhana district being industrially backward, the growth of trade union movement is very slow and is one of recent origin. The lack of education on the part of the workers is the most serious obstacle in the way of their organising themselves into an effective labour force. On account of the inability of the worker to take a long-term view of his interests, trade unions in the district have been able to achieve very little in the shape of improving the conditions of the workers and their standard of living.

There are 16 workers' unions in Buldhana district registered under the Trade Unions Act. 1926. The names of these unions are shown in the statement given below:—

NAMES OF TRADE-UNIONS AND THE DATES OF THEIR REGISTRATION'.

The Buldhana District Co-operative Bank Employees' Union is a recognised Union under the provisions of the Bombay Industrial Relations Act, 1946, for local area of Chikhli. It is active among the employees of the District Central Co-operative Bank, Buldhana. The Gin Press and Oil Mill Mazdoor Sangh is working for the unity of workers in ginning and pressing and oil mills at Shegaon. The Nagar Palika Kamgar Union is active in Deulgaon Raja. The break-up of the 16 unions categorywise is as under: —

Wages and Earnings.— Labour efficiency of an industry depends upon many factors such as the skill of the worker, wage rates, hours of work and facilities and amenities made available to workers. Higher wages lead to increased efficiency and to higher production in the industry. Taking these factors into consideration Government of Maharashtra have fixed the minimum rates of wages for the following industries in the Buldhana District:—

(1) Employment in any oil mill;

(2) Employment in any tobacco factory (including bidi makings;

(3) Employment in any rice mill, flour mill or dal mill;

(4) Employment in any cotton ginning and cotton pressing factory;

(5) Employment in any industry in which any process of printing by letter press, lithography, photogravure to such process or book binding is carried on and employment in any printing press;

(6) Employment in rubber manufactory industry;

(7) Employment in glass industry;

(8) Employment in tanneries and leather manufactory;

(9) Employment in potteries;

(10) Employment in stone breaking or stone crushing;

(11) Employment in road construction or in building operations;

(12) Employment in any local authority;

(13) Employment in any shop and commercial establishment not being an employment in any bank; (towns having population of 10.000 and more according to 1961 Census)

(14) Employment in cinema exhibition industry.

The accidents occurring in different factories of the district result in loss of property to the factories. In 1957, 4 serious and 29 minor accidents occurred in the various factories in the Buldhana district. Similarly, 3 fire explosions in 1957, and one in 1958 resulted in a loss of property of the value of Rs. 2,35,000 and Rs. 18.000 respectively. The loss was the heaviest in Khamgaon tahsil which is comparatively more industrialised. Industries in Malkapur tahsil also suffered a loss to the tune of Rs. 17,850 in 1957 due to 3 fire explosions in the factories.

Labour Welfare Activities.—The development programmes included in the Five-Year Plan envisage considerable industrial development and provide for schemes for labour welfare and training of labour in technical trades to improve their efficiency and to meet the requirements of the expanding industry. The programme of labour welfare in the Vidarbha area envisages establishment of multi-purpose institutions in the industrial towns of the district.

An Employment Exchange is functioning at Buldhana as a recruiting agency for Government and non-Government offices and public and private undertakings.

Buldhana district has a sizeable number of seasonal factories viz., ginning and pressing factories. During off season the workers engaged in ginning and pressing factories, who are mostly agriculturists and villagers go back to their villages. Thus labour in the district is more mobile due to the seasonal nature of employment. There is, therefore, little scope for labour welfare activities. However, the existing labour welfare activities are undertaken by two Kamgar Kalyan Kendras, one at Khamgaon and one run by the Labour Welfare Board at Buldhana.

One recreation centre-ram-library for working classs population is run by the Municipal Council, Shegaon.

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