The study of industrial labour in post-colonial India—The formal sector: An introductory review

Abstract

In post-colonial India labour came to be closely associated with industrial work. The agrarian-rural mode of production would come to an end soon to be replaced by large- scale enterprises making use of modern technology and situated in urban localities. The drift of labour from the countryside towards middle- and large-sized cities seemed to herald the approaching transformation towards the type of society that had emerged in the developed part of the world. Employment in the organised sector of the urban economy, although absorbing only a minor portion of the total workforce outside agriculture, became the main focus of studies on work and labour.

According to strongly held views the quality of labour left much to be desired and this became a major argument in explaining the low productivity in industry. The Indian worker, rooted in traditional structure and culture was blamed for his—the notion of gender was practically absent—lack of commitment. The growth of India's industrial proletariat was by and large an urban phenomenon. The profile of the emerging workforce is discussed in terms of caste and class, skill formation and employment modalities. Trade unions were instrumental in raising wages, improving conditions of work and dignifying industrial work through labour legislation. But again, this all remained the prerogative of a small segment of industrial workers who found a niche in the formal sector economy.