The classification adopted by the ILO is given below

Walfare and amenities within the establishment

1. Latrines and urinals

2. Washing and bathing facilities

3. Crèches

4. Rest shelters and canteens

5. Arrangements for drinking water

6. Arrangements for prevention of fatigue

7. Health service including occupational safety

8. Administrative arrangements within a plant to look after welfare

9. Uniforms and protective  clothing

10. Shift allowance

It is the employer’s responsibility to provide facilities within the p0recincts of an establishment, as they form a part of working conditions. For many components of such welfare, legislation in the country has set certain minimum  standards. Improvements upon them have been left to the employers.

Welfare outside the establishment

1 maternity benefits

2 social insurance measures, including gratuity , pension, provident fund and rehabilitation

3 benevolent funds

4 medical facilities, including programmes for physical fitness and efficiency, family planning and child welfare

5education facilities including adult education

6 housing facilities

7 recreation facilities, including sports, cultural activities, library and reading room

8 holiday homes and leave travel facilities

9 workers’ co-operatives, including consumers’ co-operative stores, fair price shops and co-operative thrift and credit societies

10 vocational training for dependants of workers

11 other programmes  for the welfare of women, youth and children

12 transport to and from the place of work

The Government have been trying to see that all industrial establishments employing more than 300 workers set up consumers’ co-operative stores and fair shops for for their workers.

The importance of worker’educationhas been duly recognized by the Government. The Central Board for Workers’ Education (CBWE), set up in 1958 is a tripartite body, consisting of representatives of
Central  and State Government s organization of employers and workers and educationists. It is a registered society for the implementation of workers’ education schemes with  the following objectives .

1. To equip all sections of workers for their intelligent participation in the sociao-economic development of the nation.

2. To promote among workers a greater understanding of the problems of their socioeconomic environment, their responsibilities towards family and their rights and obligations economic environment, their responsibilities towards family and their rights And  obligations as citizens, as workers in industry and as members and officials of their trade unions.

Maternity benefits

The Maternity Benefit Acts provide for the payment of cash maternity benefit for certain periods before and after confinement , and grant of leave and other facilities to woment employees the qualifying period of service shall be eighty days during  a span of 12 months. The benefit is payable for a maximum period of 12 weeks.  Workers, both the Central and State Acts provide that  such women shall not be dismissed; nor can a woman worker be discharged during the period of maternity leave.

Lay –of f and retrenchment compensation

The industrial Disputes Act of 1947 was amended several times , provide for the payment of compensation in the event of lay-off , retrenchment, closure and transfer of undertakings.’

1. A workman laid of will be paid compensation by the employer for all the days during which he is so laid of except for such weekly holidays as may intervene.

2. The rate of compensation shall be equal to fifty percent of the total basic wages and dearness allowance that would have been payable to him had he not been so laid off

3. A workman laid off shall be entitled to compensation only when he is not a badli workman or a casual  workman

Retirement

No workman , who has been in continuous service in any industry for not less than one year , can be retrenched by an employer until one month’s notice (or wages in lieu thereof) has been given to him in writing, indicating the reasons for the retrenchment , if the establishment employs not less than one hundred workers, the notice period shall be three months or wages for the period of notice Retrenchment compensation is payable at the rate of 15 days’ average pay for every completed year of service

In the event of bonafide closures or transfer of undertakings, compensation shall be payable to workers who loose employment  in consequence of such closure or transfer. In the event of a change of owner ship , such workers as have been re-employed on the terms and conditions which are not less favourable to them shall not be entitled to compensation.

Gratuity scheme

The Act  provides for payment of gratuity at the rate of 15 days’ wages for each completed year of service subject to a maximum of Rs. 3,50,000.

Gratuity has now become a statutory service condition, and its quantum has no bearing on the size  of the profit of the organization or similar extraneous consideration.

Employees’ pension scheme

Under the scheme, pension at the rat of 50 percent pay is payable to the employees on retirement/super-annuation on completion of 33 years’ contributory service. A minimum to years’ service is required for entitlement to pension.

SUMMARY

According to the ILO , labour welfare refers to “such services, facilities and amenities and amenities as adequate canteens, rest and recreation facilities, arrangements for travel to and for their houses, and such other services amenities and facilities as contribute to improvments  in the conditions under workers are employed”

The labour welfare services may be divided into two groups-(a) within the precincts  of the establishment and (b) outside the establishment. Welfare and amenities within the establishment include latrines , urinals and washing and bathing facilities; crèches; rest shelters and canteens; arrangements for drinking water; arrangements for preventin of fatigue; health service including occupational safety; administrative arrangements within a plant to look after welfare; uniforms and protective clothing; and shift allowance;

It is the employer’s responsibility to provide facilities within the precincts of an establishment, as they form a part of working conditions. For many components of such welfare, legislation in the country has set certain minimum standards .  improvements  upon them have been left to the employers.

The facilities within the precincts of the establishment are regulated by the factories Act , 1948, the Plantation Labour Act, 1951; and the Mines Act, 1952.

Welfare outside the establishment include maternity benefits. Social insurance measure. Benevolent funds; medical facilities ; education facilities including adult education; housing facilities ; recreation facilities, including sports, cultural activities , library and reading room; holiday homes and travel facilities ; workers’ co-operatives; vocational training for dependants of workers; and leave travel facilities; workers’ co-operatives; vocational training for dependants of workers; other programmes for the welfare of women, youth and children; transport to and from the place of work.

Welfare amenities outside the precincts of the establishment, such as medical , educational recreational , housing and other facilities , are non-statutory in many cases. However , in plantations, the provisions of some of them is obligatory on the employer. Social security is also a component of labour welfare. Social security envisages that the members of a community shall be protected by collective action against social risks causing meet them. The constitution of India lays down that the State shall, within the limits of its economic capacity and development, make effective provisions for securing public assistance in the event of unemployment, old age, sickness, and disablement.<a href://www.govindam.org> Govindam Business School </a>

The legislative enactments in India for the provision of social security may be broadly classified into two categories: (1) Acts the provide security in cases of employment  injury, maternity and sickness. (2) Acts that cover the risks of old age and unemployment.