Chpter 2 - Labour Welfare Officer

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Labour Welfare Officer

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Labour Welfare Officer The importance of labour officers in Indian industry was realised as early as 1931, when the Royal Commission on Labour recommended that their appointment in order to protect the workers from the evils of jobbery and indebtedness, to act as generally as a spokesman of labour and to promote amicable relations between workers and the management.

The officer is expected to act    

an advisor, counselor, mediator, and liaison (Link)officer between mgmt. & labour

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Labour Welfare Officer The post of the labour officer was instituted initially to:  Eliminate the evils and malpractices of the jobbery system in the recruitment of the labour.  Develop and improve labour administration.

 Serve as a liaison with State Labour Commissioner. The Cotton textile mills in Bombay an the Jute Industry in Calcutta pioneered the appointment of Labour officer in the 1930. The labour officer was expected to discharge the functions of the policeman, including the maintenance of the law and order in an organisation.

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Labour Welfare Officer The Legislative provision for the appointment of welfare officers under the 1) Factories act was made in 1948 Section 49 (1) and (2) of the act provides that: ”In every factory, wherein 500 or more workers are ordinarily employed, the employer shall employ in the factory such number of welfare officers as may be prescribed.

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Labour Welfare Officer 2) According to the Plantation Labour Act 1951 Section 18 (1) & (2), ” In every plantation wherein 300 or more workers are employed, the employer shall employ in the factory such number of welfare officers as may be prescribed. The state is authorized to prescribe the duties, qualifications and conditions of service of such officer.”

3) Section 58 of the Mines Act, 1952, states: “For every mine wherein 500 or more persons are employed the owner, the agent or manager shall appoint a suitably qualified welfare officer.”

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Labour Welfare Officer

The State is authorized to prescribe the duties, qualifications and conditions of service of Labour

welfare officer.

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Labour Welfare Officer The National Commission on labour has stated:  Laws were made to ensure that the managements appointed a person exclusively to look after the welfare of their workers and help them in discharging their statutory obligations in respect of welfare measures.  The welfare officers should form part of the administration so that they may discharge their responsibilities effectively. Therefore, the eligibility of a welfare officer must be ensured before his appointment.  The welfare officer should not be called upon to handle labour disputes on behalf of the management.

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Labour Welfare Officer

Where there are more than one Welfare Officer appointed, one of them shall be called the Chief Welfare Officer and the others Assistant Welfare Officers.

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Labour Welfare Officer Qualifications of labour welfare officer A welfare officer to be appointed should have:  A university degree.  Degree or diploma in social sciences or social work or social welfare from any recognized institution.  Adequate knowledge of the language spoken by majority of the workers in the area where factories, mines, or plantations are situated.

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Labour Welfare Officer Qualifications of labour welfare officer  Provided that the State Government may, by notification in the official gazette, grant exemption from the provisions of clause (b) in suitable cases till such time better facilities in the matter of training in social science are available.  Provided further that, in the case of a person who is acting as a Welfare Officer at the commencement of these rules, the State Government may, subject to such conditions as it may specify, relax all or any of the aforesaid qualifications.

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Labour Welfare Officer Qualifications of labour welfare officer  He will be head of the department and his service can’t be terminated, Govt. permission has to be obtained.  He should have passed Viva-voce test conducted by the commissioner of labour and he has got himself enrolled in the list of welfare officers maintained by the commissioner of labour.  A test is conducted by the commissioner of labour in every quarter beginning first of January, April, July, October.  No person shall be allowed to be appointed as who has any kind of connection / interest in factory and no person shall be allowed to hold such office after he becomes so interested in the factory

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Labour Welfare Officer Following degree diplomas are recognised appointment of LWO in Maharashtra

for

the

1. Diploma in labour welfare of the Mumbai University, Mumbai 2. Diploma of the Institute for Labour Welfare Workers 3. Diploma in social services administration with industrial relations and personnel management of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai 4. Diploma in labour welfare of Shri Dorabjee Graduate school of social Work, Mumbai 5. Degree of MA in social work of the Tata institute of social sciences, Mumbai. 6. Two years course (Diploma in Labour welfare) of the institute for labour welfare workers etc…

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Labour Welfare Officer Recruitment of Welfare Officers 

The post of a Welfare Officer shall be advertised in at least two newspapers having a wide circulation in the State, one of which shall be an English newspaper.

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The selection shall be made from among the candidates applying for the post by a Committee appointed by the occupier of the factory.

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The appointment when made shall be notified by the occupier to the State Government or such authority as the State Government may specify for the purpose, giving full details of the qualifications, etc. of the officer appointed and the conditions of his service.

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Labour Welfare Officer Role of labour welfare officer

 Advisor  Counselor  Mediator  Liaison

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Labour Welfare Officer Function of Welfare Officers 

Classified under three areas of manpower management

1. Labour Welfare (Welfare Function) 2. Labour Administration (Personnel function) 3. Labour Relation (Conciliation Function)

This includes advise and assistance in implementing legislative & non legislative provisions relating to health, safety and welfare, hours of work, leave, formation of welfare committees .

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Labour Welfare Officer Function of Welfare Officers 

Classified under three areas of manpower management

1. Labour Welfare (Welfare Function) 2. Labour Administration (Personnel function) 3. Labour Relation (Conciliation Function)

Labour administration responsibilities may cover organisational discipline, safety and medical administration, liaison, wage & salary administration, education of workers

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Labour Welfare Officer Function of Welfare Officers 

Classified under three areas of manpower management

1. Labour Welfare (Welfare Function) 2. Labour Administration (Personnel function) 3. Labour Relation (Conciliation Function)

This may consist of settlement of grievances, administration of standing orders, steps to increase productive efficiency, peaceful settlement of disputes, promotion of harmonious labour-management relations.

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Labour Welfare Officer Duties of Welfare Officers : Factories Act 1948 u/s 49,50,112 Govt. of Maharashtra 1. To establish contacts and hold consultations with a view to maintaining harmonious relations between the factory management and workers;

2. To bring to the notice of the factory management the grievances of workers, individual as well as collective, with a view to securing their expeditious redress and to act as a liaison officer between the management and labour ; 3. To study and understand the point of view of labour in order to help the factory management to shape and formulate labour policies and to interpret these policies and to interpret these policies to the workers in a language they can understand;

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Labour Welfare Officer Duties of Welfare Officers 4. To watch industrial relations with a view to using his influence in the event of a dispute between the factory management and workers and to help to bring about a settlement by persuasive effort;

5. To advise on fulfillment by time management and the concerned departments of the factory of obligations, statutory or otherwise, concerning regulation of working hours, maternity benefit, medical care, compensation for injuries and sickness and other welfare and social benefit measures;

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Labour Welfare Officer Duties of Welfare Officers 6. to advise and assist the management in the fulfillment of its obligations, statutory or otherwise, concerning prevention of personal injuries and maintaining a safe work environment, in such factories where a Safety Officer is not required to be appointed under the enabling provisions under section 40 B; 7. to promote relations between the concerned departments of the factory and workers which will bring about productive efficiency as well as amelioration in the working conditions and to help workers to adjust and adapt themselves to their working environments;

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Labour Welfare Officer Duties of Welfare Officers 8. to encourage the formation of Works and Joint Production Committees, Co-operative Societies and Welfare Committees, and to supervise their work; 9. to encourage provision of amenities such as canteens, shelters for rest, crèches, adequate latrine facilities, drinking water, sickness and benevolent scheme payments, pension and superannuation funds, gratuity payments, granting of loans and legal advice to workers;

10. to help the factory management in regulating the grant of leave with wages and explain to the workers the provisions relating to leave with wages and other leave privileges and to guide the workers in the matter of submission of application for grant of leave for regulating authorised absence;

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Labour Welfare Officer Duties of Welfare Officers 11. to advise on provision of welfare facilities, such as housing facilities, foodstuffs, social and recreational facilities, sanitation, advice on individual personnel problems and education of children;

12. to advise the factory management on questions relating to training of new starters, apprentices, workers on transfer and promotion, instructors and supervisors, supervision and control of notice board and information bulletins to further education of workers and to encourage their attendance at technical institutes; and 13. to suggest measures which will serve to raise the standard of living of workers and in general promote their well-being.

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Labour Welfare Officer Duties of Welfare Officers 14. To bring to the notice of workers their rights & liabilities under the Standing Order of the factory and other rules which grant rights to, and define the duties of workers or which are directed to the discipline, safety and protection of workers and the factory

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