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

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 b e replaced by large-scale enterprises making use of modern technology and s ituated in urban localities. The drift of labour from the countryside towar ds middle- and large-sized cities seemed to herald the approaching transfor mation towards the type of society that had emerged in the developed parr o f the world. Employment in the organised sector of the urban economy, altho ugh absorbing only a minor portion of the total work force outside agricult ure, became the main focus of studies on work and labour According to strongly held views the quality of labour left,much to be desi red and this became a major argument in explaining the low productivity in industry. The Indian worker; rooted in traditional structure and culture wa s blamed for his-the notion of gender was practically absent-lack of commit ment. The growth of India's industrial proletariat was by and large an urba n phenomenon. The profile of the emerging workforce is discussed in terms o f caste and class, skill formation and employment modalities. Trade unions were instrumental in raising wager, improving conditions of work and dignif ying industrial,work through labour legislation. Bur again, this all remain ed the prerogative of a small segment of industrial workers who found a nic he in the formal sector economy.