Labour problems of textile Industry : study of the labour problems of the cotton mill industry in Bombay / by G. K. Thakke

Labour has acquired the significance of an indispensable factor of production in the modern industrial enterprise. With the increasing tempo of industrialisation in India, a sizable in crease is forecast in the number of persons entering the industrial field as employees over a short span of time. This phenomenon calls for special measures to bring about adjustment and harmony in the industrial life of the country. Both industrialists as well as the Government in India, therefore, will have to make systema tic efforts to weave a pattern of industrial relations which is in keeping with the conditions prevailing in India and which can be helpful in sustaining the economic growth of the nation without in any way undermining human relations in the industries.

Though India can benefit in this matter from the experiences of advanced industrial countries, the peculiar conditions of this country, its historical background and the future ambitions and plans of Indian people cannot be overlooked while planning the fabric of industrial relations. Decisions should be taken after careful study of the present situation and scrupulous analy sis of all relevant factors. Implications of the policies and actions of management on productivity, morale and attitudes of workers need to be studied systematically and the line of action to be taken by management should be clearly suggested. Role of trade unions and Government agencies also must be defined after careful investigations in the matter and the extent to which and the manner in which they should exert their in fluence on the framework of industrial relations should be found out.

The present work is concerned with the labour problems of the cotton mill industry of Bombay. This industry has the distinction of being the oldest large scale industry in India. It occupies a very important place in the national economy of the country. It is at the same time one of those industries in which personnel management functions are not yet developed on a systematic line. Orthodox methods of labour administration are still persisting. The educational standard of labour force is also very poor in this industry. The relations between labour and management in this vital industry of India deserve close scrutiny in order to bring to the forefront the implications of traditional methods of rules-of-thumb in the matter of labour administration. Though some work has been done to study the different aspects of the labour problems of this industry from sociological view-point by research students, a consistent study of all the aspects of labour problems was not so far attempted by any. The present study is a small attempt in this direction.