The Gazetteers Department

THE INDUSTRIES AND LABOUR DEPARTMENT of the Government of Maharashtra controls the offices dealing with labour matters. The Commissioner of Labour is the head of all such offices. At present, he has under him-(i) six Deputy Commissioners of Labour (four at Bombay and one each at Nagpur and Poona), (ii) twenty-seven Assistant Commissioners of Labour (eighteen at Bombay, four at Nagpur, two at Poona and one each at Aurang-abad, Nasik and Kolhapur), (iii) thirty-eight Government Labour Officers (eighteen at Bombay, five at Nagpur, three at Poona, two at Aurangabad and one each at Thana, Kalyan, Nasik, Jalgaon, Sholapur, Kolhapur, Ahmadnagar, Sangli, Nanded and Amravati), (iv) Chief Inspector of Factories, Bombay, with subordinate Inspectors at different important centres of the State, and (v) Chief Inspector of Steam Boilers and Smoke Nuisances, Bombay with subordinate inspectorates.

The Deputy Commissioner of Labour is the regional head of all the offices in Nagpur and Aurangabad division's. He performs various statutory functions under the Central Provinces and Berar Industrial Disputes Settlement Act, 1947. He is assisted by two Assistant Commissioners posted at Nagpur with jurisdiction over Vidarbha region. Both tbese officers are appointed as Authorities, under section 16 of the Central Provinces and Berar Industrial Disputes Settlement Act, 1947, and one of them is also appointed as Assistant Registrar of Recognised Unions under the said Act.

The Commissioner of Labour performs the statutory functions entrusted to him under the following Central and State Acts, and supervises their administrative enforcement:

Central Acts: Industrial Disputes Act, 1947; Trade Unions Act, 1926; Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946; Minimum Wages Act, 1948: Working Journalists (Conditions of Service and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1955; Motor Transport Workers Act, 1961, and Bidi and Cigar Workers (Conditions of Employment) Act, 1966.

State Acts: Bombay Industrial Relations Act, 1946, and Bombay Shops and Establishments Act, 1948.

Apart from the above, the Commissioner of Labour supervises and co-ordinates the working of the abovementioned offices under his control. In addition, the office of the Commissioner of Labour performs the following functions-

(1) Compilation and publication of the Consumer Price Index Numbers for working class for Bombay, Sholapur, Jalgaon, Nagpur, Aurangabad, Nanded and Poona.

(2) Conducting of socio-economic enquiries into the conditions of labour.

(3) Compiling and disseminating information on labour matters in general and statistics regarding industrial disputes, agricultural disputes, agricultural wares, absenteeism, cotton mills, trade unions, etc., in particular.

(4) Publication of two monthlies, viz.-

(i) The Labour Gazette; and

(ii) The Industrial Court Reporter.

(5) Supervision over the working of the Bombay Shops and Establishments Act, 1948, where it is administered by local authorities.

Government Labour Officer.- In Vidarbha region there are five Government Labour Officers, two at Nagpur and one each at Akola, Amravati and Bhandara. The Labour Officer posted at Akola looks after the work in Buldhana district. There is also one Inspector of Shops and Establishments, with headquarters at Khamgaon who is entrusted with the enforcement work of the Bombay Shops and Establishments Act, 1948. He has to attend to the complaints of the employees under the above Act. The Government Labour Officer incharge of Buldhana district supervises the work of the Inspector and implements the labour laws in the district.

Conciliation Machinery.- The Government labour officers are statutory labour officers under the Central Provinces and Berar Industrial Disputes Settlement Act. 1947, and are also appointed as conciliators under that Act. When there are no recognised unions in industry the labour officers have to act as representatives of employees in collective disputes. They attend to all the complaints from employees from all industries and keep the Government and other authorities informed about the labour and industrial situation in the district. The conciliation work and other labour disputes coining from Buldhana district arc attended bv the Assistant Commissioner of Labour, Nagpur, who has been notified as conciliator and/or conciliation officer under the Bombay Industrial Relations Act and/or the Industrial Disputes Act, respectively.

Labour Unions.- The provisions of the Bombay Industrial Relations Act, 1946, have been made applicable to the Vidarbha and Marathwada regions of the State with effect from 1st May, 1965. One of the Assistant Commissioners of Labour, Nagpur, has been notified as Additional Registrar with one Assistant Registrar under him for Vidarbha region. The Registrar's work is of a quasi-judicial nature which includes,-(i) recognition of undertakings and occupations; (ii) registration of unions; (iii) maintenance of approved lists of unions; (iv) registration of agreements, settlements, submissions and awards; (v) maintenance of list of joint committees constituted under section 48 of the Act, (vi) maintenance of list of protected employees of unions connected with the industries covered under the Act.

Trade Unions Act, 1926.- The Deputy Commissioner of Labour, Nagpur, in addition to his other duties, has been notified as Additional Registrar of Trade Unions of Vidarbha region under the Trade Unions Act, 1926. The Additional Registrar is assisted by one of the Assistant Commissioners of Labour, Nagpur, who has been notified as Deputy Registrar of Trade Unions for Vidarbha region. The work done by the Additional Registrar in connection with administration of Trade Unions Act includes the registration of trade unions, registration of amendments to the constitutions of the unions, registration of the dissolutions, amalgamation and cancellation of registration of trade unions and submission of annual reports on the working of the Act in the State based on the information contained in the annual returns submitted by registered trade unions under section 28 of the Act.

Trade Union Movement: There are 16 workers unions in Buldhana district registered under the Trade Unions Act, 1926, some of which are noted below.

The Buldhana District Co-operative Bank Employees Union is a recognised union under the provisions of Bombay Industrial Relations Act, 1946, for the local area of Chikhli. The other unions which could also be noted arc the Gin Press and Oil Mill Mazdoor Sangh at Shegaon and the Nagar Palika Kamgar Union at Deulgaon Raja.

Wages and Earnings.- There is no working class cost of living index for Buldhana district or any other centre in the district.

Minimum Wages Act, 1948: The Government of Maharashtra have fixed the minimum rates of wages as per provisions of the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, for the following industries in the Buldhana district: -

(1) oil mill, (2) tobacco (including bidi making), (3) rice mill, floor mill or dal mill, (4) cotton ginning and cotton pressing manufactory, (5) industry in which any process of printing by letter press, lithography, photogravure or other similar work or work incidental to such process or hook binding is carried on, (6) rubber manufactory industry, (7) glass industry, (8) tanneries and leather manufactory, (9) potteries, (10) stone breaking or stone crushing, (11) road construction or building operations, (12) local authority, (13) shop and commercial establishment not being an employment in any bank, and (14) cinema exhibition industry.

Bombay Shops and Establishments Act, 1948: The Bombay Shops and Establishments Act, 1948, has been made applicable to the municipal areas of Buldhana, Nan dura, Malkapur, Shegaon and Mehkar in the district.

Employees' State Insurance Act, 1948, and Employees' Provident Fund Act, 1952- Extension of the Employees' State Insurance (scheme) is under consideration for the district under the Fifth Five-Year Plan. The Employees' Provident Fund Act, 1952, is applicable to Buldhana district.

Authority under Payment of Wages Act, 1936: The Civil Judge, Senior Division, Buldhana, has been appointed as the Authority under the Payment of Wages Act for the area within his jurisdiction.

The Civil Judges who have been appointed as Authorities under the Payment of Wages Act and the Minimum Wages Act are also empowered to hear and decide claims arising out of payment of less than the minimum rates of wages fixed for employees employed in their respective jurisdiction.

Factory Department.- The enforcement work of the Factories Act is carried out by the Factory department. The function of the Factory department is to ensure that the provisions of the Factories Act are observed by the managements of factories covered under the Factories Act. Besides this, the department has to administer various other laws, viz., Payment of Wages Act, Maternity Benefit Act, Employment of Children Act, and Cotton Ginning and Pressing Factories Act in so far as section 9 of the said Act is concerned.

The department is under the administrative control of the Commissioner of Labour and Director of Employment. The Chief Inspector of Factories is the head of the office and is officially subordinate to the Commissioner of Labour and Director of Employment. The department has a regional office at Nagpur under the Deputy Chief Inspector of Factories, who has jurisdiction over eight districts of Vidarbha and five districts of Marathwada. The Junior Inspector of Factories, Akola, is in-charge of Akola and Buldhana districts for inspection, visits, etc. The activities of this department also extend to securing labour welfare amenities such as education, recreation, co-operative societies, housing, etc.

The main function of the Inspector is to ensure that the provisions of the Factories Act are observed by the managements of factories to which the said Act is applicable. The Collector is also the ex-officio Inspector of Factories in Buldhana district. The Inspector has power to prosecute, conduct and defend before the courts after taking permission from the Chief Inspector of Factories, Maharashtra State, Bombay.

The administrative control of Factory department vests in the Commissioner of Labour, Bombay. But in so far as the technical side pertaining to the Department is concerned the Chief Inspector of Factories, Bombay, exercises overall control over the department in the State. The Deputy Chief Inspector of Factories, Nagpur, is the regional head for the Vidarbha and Marathwada regions. The Factory department looks after the administration of the Factories Act, 1948; Payment of Wages Act, 1936; Maternity Benefit Act; Cotton Ginning and Pressing Factories Act, 1925; Employment of Children Act, 1938; and Workmen's Compensation Act, 1923.

Labour Welfare Activities.- The scope of labour welfare activities in the district is very limited. The district has a sizeable number of seasonal factories, viz., ginning and pressing. During off season the workers engaged in ginning and pressing factories, who are mostly villagers and agriculturists, go back to their respective villages which results in a comparatively larger degree of mobility among them. There is. therefore, less scope for labour welfare activity. However, there are 2 kamgar kalyan kendras at Khamgaon and one at Buldhana run by the Labour Welfare Board at Buldhana. One recreation centre-cum-library is run by the Municipal Council, Shegaon.

Following is the list of trade unions in the Buldhana district: -

Name of the Union.

Buldhana District Co-operative Bank Employees' Union, Chikhli.

Flour Mills Kamgar Union, Chikhli.

Khamgaon Gin Press and Oil Mills Shramik Sangh, Khamgaon.

Mehkar Municipal Octroi Employees' Union, Mehkar.

Chikhli Nagarpalika Karmachari Sangh, Chikhli.

Nandura Gumasta Mandal, Nandura.

Gin Press Kamgar Union, Mehkar.

Bharatiya Gumasta Kamgar Sangh, Malkapur.

Grampanchayat Kamgar Union, Dongaon.

Nagarpalika Kamgar Union, Deulgaon Raja.

Buldhana District Central Co-operative Bank Karmachari Union, Khamgaon.

Buldhana Zilla Parishad Vaidya Mandal, Khamgaon.

Gin Press and Oil Mills Mazdoor Sangh, Shegaon.

Bhartiya Gumasta Mandal, Chikhli.

Nandura Nagarparishad Karmachari Sangh, Nandura.

Buldhana Zilla P.W.D. Kamgar Sangh, Buldhana.

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