1. International Indexed & Referred Research Journal, April, 2012. ISSN- 0975-3486, RNI-RAJBIL 2009/30097;VoL.III *ISSUE-31
Research Paper—Management
Labor Welfare & Social Security
April, 2012 * Dr. Lata Choudhary
* ICMT,Jodhpur
A B S T R A C T
The productivity of labor is an essential condition for the prosperity of enterprises and the well being of the workers and their
families. While the production facilities at workplace and the remuneration are important, attitudes towards work, and the value
placed by the society on dignity of labor are equally important in influencing the productivity of labor. The planning process
supports the attainment of economic and social objectives in the labor sector through a set of strategies.
Welfare employees. Social responsibility means that the obli-
Welfare is the provision and maintenance of gation of the industry to pursue those policies, to take
the conditions of life for individuals by the commu- such decisions, and to follow those lines of action
nity. Welfare has a positive and negative aspect. Nega- which are desirable in terms of the objectives and
tive welfare is the provision by the state or other in- values currently obtaining in the society. The values
stitutions of a "safety net" or the distribution of ben- of the Indian community are enshrined in the consti-
efits according to some criteria; so-called positive tution of the country. Labor welfare is not embroi-
welfare is the provision of opportunities for people to dery on capitalism nor the external dressing of an
"help themselves". This contrast lies behind foreign- exploitative management; rather, it is an expression
aid strategies which concentrate on providing skills of the assumption by industry of its responsibility for
or "seed capital" rather than food parcels, for example. its employees.
The concept of positive and negative welfare is re- Adequacy of wages
lated to the concepts of positive and negative free- The third principle of labor welfare is ad-
dom. equacy of wages; it implies that labor welfare mea-
Concept of labor welfare sures are not a substitute for wages. It will be wrong
The concept of labor welfare is flexible and to argue that since workers are given a variety of la-
elastic and differs widely with time, region, industry, bor welfare services, they need be paid only low wages.
social values and customs, degree of industrializa- Right to adequate wage is beyond dispute.
tion, the general socio-economic development of the Efficiency
people and the political ideologies prevailing at a The fourth principle of labor welfare lays
particular time. It is also molded according to the age- stress on the dictum that to cultivate welfare is to cul-
groups, socio-cultural background, marital and eco- tivate efficiency. Even those who deny any social re-
nomic status and educational level of the workers in sponsibility for industry do accept that an enterprise
various industries. In its broad connotation, the term must introduce all such labor welfare measures which
welfare refers to a state of living of an individual or promote efficiency (Marshall, 1950). It has been of-
group in a desirable relationship with total environ- ten mentioned that workers' education and training,
ment - ecological, economic, and social. Conceptu- housing, and diet are the three most important as-
ally as well as operationally, labor welfare is a part of pects of labor welfare, which always accentuate labor
social welfare which, in turn, is closely linked to the efficiency.
concept and the role of the State. Welfare of labor
Social responsibility of industry One of the major concerns of the Govern-
This principle is based on the social concep- ment has been the improvement of labor welfare with
tion of industry and its role in the society that is, the increasing productivity and provision of a reasonable
understanding that social responsibility of the state is level of social security. The planning process attempts
manifested through industry. It is assumed that labor to achieve these goals by monitoring working condi-
welfare is an expression of industry's duty towards its tions and creation of industrial harmony through an
RESEARCH AN ALYSI S AND EVALU ATION
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2. International Indexed & Referred Research Journal, April, 2012. ISSN- 0975-3486, RNI-RAJBIL 2009/30097;VoL.III *ISSUE-31
infrastructure for healthy industrial relations. means test. The general revenues of the government
Social security measures provide the finance for social assistance payments,
The concept of social security has been men- which is made available as a legal right to those work-
tioned in the early Vedic hymn which wishes every- ers who fulfill given conditions. Social assistance and
one to be happy, free from ill- health, enjoy a bright social insurance go side by side. Social assistance
future and suffer no sorrow. The phrase social secu- programmes cover such programmes as unemploy-
rity is, therefore, a new name for an old aspiration. ment assistance; old- age assistance, public assistance
Today is based on the "ideals of human dignity and and national assistance. Social security is the combi-
social justice". Social security is defined as "the secu- nation of social assistance and social insurance. So-
rity that society furnishes, through appropriate orga- cial insurance, however, falls midway between the two,
nization, against certain risks to which its members for it is financed by the state as well as by the insured
are exposed". These risks are essentially contingen- and their employers; whereas social assistance is given
cies against which the individual, who has small gratis to the needy by the state or the community.
means, cannot protect himself. These contingencies Legislative Protection
include employment injury, sickness, disablement, The Government has taken various initiatives
industrial disease, maternity, old age, burial, widow- through enactment of legislations, creation of welfare
hood, and unemployment. Social security is also funds, spreading workers education and through sup-
broadly defined as "the endeavor of the community, porting non-governmental organizations to bring this
as a whole, to render help to the utmost extent pos- deprived class into the mainstream of our work force.
sible to any individual during periods of physical dis- Some of the important legislations which help unor-
tress inevitable on illness or injury and during eco- ganized workers are as under:-
nomic distress consequent on reduction or loss of earn- Minimum Wages Act, 1948.
ings due to illness, disablement, maternity, unemploy- Workmen's Compensation Act, 1923.
ment, old age or death of working member". Social Maternity Benefit Act, 1961
security thus provides a self-balancing social insur- The Employees State Insurance Act, 1948.
ance or assistance from public funds or a combina- Bonded Labor System (Abolition) Act, 1976.
tion of both. Contract Labor (Regulation & Abolition) Act, 1970.
Social insurance: Conclusion
The features of social insurance are It is fi- The international Labor Organisation did
nanced entirely by or mainly from the common mon- much to improve working and living condition of
etary contributions of workers, employers and the people throughout the world. It is shown itself to be
state. The state and the employers make major con- an efficiency tool in the service of social justice in all
tribution to this fund, while the employees pay only a parts of the world. It has brought about international
nominal amount. When there is total or partial loss co-operation, unity and understanding and helped in
of income, these benefits, within limits, ensure the the elimination of poverty and injustice. It has ren-
maintenance of the beneficiary's minimum standard dering exemplary service to all the three elements com-
of living. Social insurance benefits are granted with- posing it -government, employers and workers. Its
out an examination of an individual's need and with- Conventions have been greatly appreciated by the
out any means test, without affecting the sense of self working class all over the world for their beneficent,
respect of the beneficiary. humanitarian and missionary influence. They are con-
Social assistance sidered as the embodiment of social justice by the
Social assistance is provided as a supplement under-privileged. Our country is greatly benefited by
to social insurance for that needy person who cannot the ILO standards which helped in improving the
get social insurance payments, and is offered after a working class.
40 RESEARCH AN ALYSI S AND EVALU ATION