The idea of industrial society
- Industrialisation brought major changes to society, especially in working life and relationships.
- When sociologists such as Karl Marx, Max Weber, and Émile Durkheim studied society, they looked at how industry and machines transformed traditional rural society.
Difference between traditional and industrial society
- In rural societies people worked on their masters' fields, but in industrial societies this relationship became based in factories and workplaces.
- Here people are not able to see the end result of their life because their work plays only a small part.
- This work is often repetitive and tedious, but is still considered better than unemployment.
- Marx called this situation "alienation", in which people are unhappy with their work, and their lives depend on how much space machines leave for their work.
Combining equality and inequality
- Industrialisation brought equality in some areas, such as railways and buses, where caste discrimination became meaningless. But old discriminations still persisted in new workplaces. For example, wage and income inequality increased.
- Well-paid professions such as medicine, law and journalism tend to be dominated by upper caste people, while women receive lower salaries for the same work.
- This shows that despite some equality in the society, economic inequalities and social discrimination still exist deeply and there is a need for structural changes in the society.
Industrialisation in India
Industrialisation in India: Features
Industrialisation in India was different from the experience of the Western countries. Though it was similar in many respects, the situation in India was quite different in some aspects.
1. Division of agriculture, industry, and service sector
- As per 2018–19 data in India, about 43% of people work in agriculture, 25% in construction and production sector and 23% in services sector such as trade, transport, and financial services.
- However, the number of people working in agriculture is decreasing, which shows that the sector which is employing people is not able to give them much income.
2. Self-employment and regular paid working conditions
- 52% of people in India are self-employed, while 24% are in regular salaried employment and 24% are irregular workers.
- This gap is quite different from developed countries, where most people are regular salaried earners.
3. Organised and unorganised sector
- More than 90% of people in India work in the unorganised (informal) sector, while employment in the organised sector is very low.
- This means that most people in India work on a small scale, where personal relationships and mutual agreements are more important.
Social Impacts of Industrialisation in India:
- Importance of relationships at work: Personal relationships are important in India's small working sectors. If the employer likes someone, the salary may increase, but if there are disagreements, the job may be at risk.
- Secure and remunerative jobs: Secure and remunerative jobs are few in India. Government jobs are considered a means to break caste, religion, and regional barriers.
- Role of union: Workers in the unorganized sector do not have the experience of forming unions, which prevents them from fighting for safe work and fair wages. There are government rules, but their implementation depends on the contractors or employers.
Globalisation, Liberalisation and Changes in Indian Industries
- Globalization and liberalization have brought about major changes in India, especially since the 1990s when the government adopted these policies. This led to private companies and foreign firms investing in the Indian market, leading to changes in many industries.
- Sectors that were previously government-controlled, such as telecommunications, civil aviation and energy, are now dominated by private companies and foreign investors. For example, Parle beverages was bought by Coca-Cola, leading to an increase in the number of foreign products in the Indian market.
- Retail trade also changed after liberalization. Now people mostly prefer to buy from big shopping malls and foreign brands rather than buying from their local shopkeepers.
- The government is now selling parts of public companies for privatization, which is called disinvestment. This has increased the fear of losing jobs among government employees. For example, after the privatization of Modern Food, many employees were laid off.
- Most companies are now reducing the number of permanent employees. Work is being done through outsourcing, which is providing availability of cheap labour. This situation is especially seen in small companies and big multi-national companies.
- Employees in small industries face low wages and poor working conditions. Apart from this, employees also have less opportunity to form unions, due to which they are unable to fight for their rights.
- India is still an agricultural country, but employment is growing in the service sector such as banking, IT industry, hotels, etc. Along with this, the urban middle class is also expanding.
- Although more people are joining the service sector, there is still a lack of secure employment. Earlier, people were dependent on government jobs, but now that option is also decreasing.
- The government has started a land acquisition policy, due to which land is being taken for many industrial projects. But these projects are increasing pollution and farmers and tribal people are getting displaced. The displaced people are getting less compensation and they have to become daily wage laborers.
how people find work
People in India use different methods to find work. Traditional methods of finding a job like advertisements or employment offices are rarely used. Here are some common ways in which people find employment:
1. Self-employment and personal contacts
- Many people are self-employed, such as plumbers, electricians, and carpenters (khati or tarkhan). Their jobs depend entirely on personal networks.
- These people believe that their work is their advertisement. For example, mobile phones have made work easier for plumbers and other workers, allowing them to reach more people.
2. Employment from contractors
- In the olden days, contractors played a major role in providing employment to factory workers. For example, the person who provided employment in Kanpur's textile mills was called a Mistri.
- The mason would work there himself and often bring in labour from the local community. However, this pattern has changed, and now unions and executives have a greater role to play.
- Nowadays many workers want their work to be passed on to their children.
3. Contracted work
- Many factories have substitute workers who replace employees who are on leave.
- These workers work for a long time but do not get permanent position and security, this is called contract work.
- This situation occurs especially in the organized sector.
4. Government schemes and employment
- The Government of India has launched several schemes to increase employment, such as Mudra Yojana, Atmanirbhar Bharat, and Make in India.
- The aim of these schemes is to promote self-employment and provide employment to marginalized people such as Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and women.
- This is giving the youth of India an opportunity to join the development process.
5. Daily wage labour and contract system
- Contracting out work for day labourers is still very common, especially in building construction and brick making work.
- Contractors go to villages and contact job seekers and employ them. Often, workers are first given money on credit to do the work, which is later deducted from their daily wages.
6. Condition of agricultural labourers
- Earlier, agricultural labourers were bonded labourers, meaning they worked for the landowner to pay off their debts. Now, they go to industrial workplaces and work as casual workers.
- Although they are still indebted, they are now freer as they are no longer bound by the social obligations of bonded labour.
How is the work done?
The ways of working have changed over time. The work process in modern industrial workplaces is very different. Let us know how work is done and understand the various aspects of work:
1. Relationship between manager and workers
- In big industries and factories, the main job of the manager is to control the workers and get more work done from them.
- There are two main ways of doing this: first, increasing working hours, i.e. increasing the quantity of work by increasing working hours, and second, more production in given time, i.e. producing more products in a given time.
- The use of machines helps in increasing the production but at the same time it also replaces the workers with machines which is a serious threat to employment.
2. Textile mills and weaving
- Workers in textile mills are seen as extensions of the machine.
- Ramchandra, a weaver, said that while working with weaving machines, every part of the body has to be used.
- It is physically exhausting, and the worker has to concentrate completely on the machine.
3. The effect of machines
- Take the example of Maruti Udyog: Here workers have to make two cars every minute and they get only 45 minutes of rest in a day.
- This work is linked to the speed of machines, and employees have to work under constant stress. When parts from external sources do not arrive on time, workers feel pressured.
4. Work in the service sector
- People working in software and IT companies are also under a lot of pressure.
- Although their work is creative and independent, it is also linked to Tylerism, the process of dividing work into pieces.
5. Impact on society and family
- The IT sector has changed working hours in cities. For example, companies based in Bangalore, Hyderabad and Gurgaon have started opening shops and restaurants later.
- This has led to the reorganisation of joint families, as grandparents now help take care of children.
6. Agriculture vs. Knowledge-based work
- Are knowledge-based jobs like software or IT jobs better than the skills of a farmer? This is an important question. While a farmer is adept at a lot of agricultural skills, a software professional is adept at computers and technology. Both have expertise in their own places, but their working methods and skills are different.
7. Impact of machines
- Harry Braverman argued that the use of machines reduces the efficiency of work. Earlier architects were expert carvers, but now computers are replacing them. This is reducing the importance of human labor.
working conditions
We all need a home, clothes, and other things, but these things are the result of someone's hard work. Working conditions directly affect the lives of working people. The government has made many laws to improve working conditions, but are they implemented properly everywhere? Let's find out.
1. Work in the mine
- Millions of people work in India's coal mines. The government has made rules like the Mines Act 1952 and the Occupational Safety Code 2020, which ensure working hours and safety.
- However, these rules are followed only in large companies, while they are often ignored in small mines.
- Contractors do not maintain proper registers, which can help them avoid paying compensation after accidents. They also do not take responsibility for repairing environmental damage when the mine closes.
2. Dangerous conditions in mines
- Underground mines are prone to flooding, fire and collapse. Gases and lack of oxygen cause diseases such as silicosis and tuberculosis.
- Workers in open mines can be injured by sun, rain, and falling objects.
3. Work accidents in India
- The rate of workplace accidents in India is higher than in other countries. Ignorance of safety rules and poor working conditions put the lives of workers at risk.
4. Status of migrant workers
- The fishing industry employs migrant workers, especially young women, from states such as Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala.
- They live in small spaces and work under difficult conditions. Migrant men live away from their families and face loneliness.
- However, young women gain independence and economic self-sufficiency through this work.
work to be done at home
- Home-based work is an important part of the economy in India, such as lace-making, zari work, carpet-making, beedi-making, and incense-stick making.
- These mainly include women and children. The agent delivers the raw material to the house and takes away the finished goods. Payment is made on the basis of how many pieces are prepared.
- Beedi manufacturing starts with the collection of tendu leaves in villages, which is mainly done by women. These leaves are sold to the forest department or contractors.
- The contractor gives these to workers at home, who wet the leaves, fill them with tobacco and make beedis.
- The contractor sells the finished bidis to the producers, who roll them and label them with their brand. These then reach the paan shops through distributors, from where people buy them.
Strikes and trade unions
Working conditions and workers' strikes
- Sometimes workers go on strike because of poor working conditions. During a strike, workers do not work, and the mill owners close the doors.
- Strikes are difficult because workers have to go without pay, and mill owners can hire new workers.
1982 Bombay textile mills strike
