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VSRD-IJBMR, Vol. 1 (5), 2011, 290-298

R RE ES SE EA AR RC CH H A AR RT TI IC CL LE E

Social Responsibility towards Labour Welfare in Singareni Collieries Company Limited

1

P. Swapna*

ABSTRACT
This attempts at addressing the aspects of social responsibility of the business in light of labour welfare with special reference to Singareni Collieries Company limited. The linkages and the ethical considerations involved in employee welfare have been addressed with implications for labour welfare. The concept of social responsibility in its narrow contours has been equated with economic welfare. Conceptually as well as operationally, labour welfare can achieve through social responsibility, which in turn is closely linked to the concept of social welfare and the role of the state. Hence in this way, we can understand the importance of social responsibility towards lab our welfare. Keywords: SR: Social Responsibility, ISO: International Standard Organization, WG: Working Group.

1. INTRODUCTION
In modern Societies business occupies a dominating place affecting the life of the citizen more widely and intensively than any other institution or activity. The traditional way of looking at business was to make profits by hook or crook. A new approach to business is slowly growing and it is being increasingly felt that business has certain social responsibilities. Business is not an end in itself. It is only a means to achieve an end; the end is man and the Society in which he lives. Therefore, business must contribute to man's happiness, freedom and his material, mental, moral and spiritual growth.

2. DEFINITION OF LABOUR WELFARE

Labour Welfare means working out things for the well-being of the lab ours. Knowing there wants and enabling them to fulfill there wants.

____________________________ 1

Research Scholar, Ambedkar Chair, Acharya *Correspondence : swapnaram77@gmail.com

Nagarjuna

University,

Guntur,

Andhra

Pradesh,

INDIA.

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2.1. Definitions
1. 2. Oxford dictionary - defines Labour welfare as efforts to make life worth living for workmen. R.R. Hopkins - welfare is fundamentally an attitude of mind on the part of the management influencing the methods by which management activities are undertaken. 3. The encyclopedia of social sciences-

Hence, Labour welfare is the voluntary efforts of employer to establish within the existing industrial system, working and sometimes living and cultural conditions of the employee beyond what is required by law.

3. REVIEW LITERATURE 3.1. Social Responsibility

A popular pun these days says "It is not enough for business to do well, it must also do well". But in order to "do well", a business must first do well". Since business as a social institution owes certain responsibilities to Society, management decisions can't be indifferent to the wider social implications. Social skill is the ability to comprehend this concept and to act in a manner balancing him conflicting interests of the diverse groups constituting the organization and the community at a large. The challenge is to make an economic enterprise truly human with an integrated social purpose in which issues like work enrichment, labour welfare and participation, ecology and consumerism influencing the managers. It is the task of management to reconcile these separate and sometimes conflicting responsibilities. Robert Owen, an industrialist, was amongst the first to make some contribution to the development of the concept of social responsibility. In 1819, he suggested certain measures for improvement in working hours, employment conditions etc. for women and children in England. Since then there have been number of factors which have contributed to great extent towards the development of this concept. It may be noted that social responsibility simply means fulfilling the obligations towards the society and the components of business and improving its economic and social conditions by all possible means. In other words, the concept of social responsibility assumes that the business has not only economic and legal obligations but also certain other social responsibilities too i.e. a businessman must besides taking care of his own interest must also take care of other's interest too, viz. the community members. Towards workers: "Workers have direct interest in an organization because by working there they satisfy their needs. The traditional economic concept of organizational functioning does not give workers their proper share in the distribution of income. The owners and managers have too much power under the economic state of affairs. Thus it is the management's responsibility to protect the interest of workers in the organization. This can be done by the management in the following ways: a) Management should treat workers as another wheel of the cart.

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b)

Management should develop administrative process in such a way that promotes co-operative endeavor between employers and employees.

c)

The management should adopt a progressive labour policy based on recognition of genuine trade union rights, participation of workers in management, creating a sense of belongingness, improving their working and living conditions.

d)

Management should pay fair and reasonable wages and other financial benefits to workers.

The Social responsibilities of modern business have been summed up in these words " In business, the earning of profit is something more than an incidence of success..... Success must be sought in business also in excellence of performance, and in business, excellence of performance manifests itself, among other things, in the advancing of methods and process, in the improvement of products, in more perfect organization, eliminating friction as well as waste, in bettering the conditions of workingmen, developing their faculties and promoting their happiness and in the establishment of right relations with customers and with the community ". "Eels and Walton have described social responsibility as "When people talk about corporate social responsibility they think in terms of the problems that arise when corporate enterprise casts its shadow on the social scene, and of ethical principles that ought to govern the relationship between the Corporation and Society. They are concerned with the impact of the Corporation on the individual and the possibilities of reconciling big business, big labour and big government with the values deeply rooted in out form of governmenti". "Social responsibilities refer to the businessman's decisions and actions taken to reasons at least partially beyond the firm's direct economic or technical interest2". "Social obligations are common to all business enterprises in the public, private or co-operative sector of economy. From the primary objective of business, it becomes crystal clear that business has an inescapable responsibility towards community as a whole. And to discharge this responsibility, profit motive must always be tempered with social obligations of business. A business unit comes into existence through the combination of material and human resource for producing and exchanging values in the form of goods and services. As a result, the fulfillment of the primary objective depends upon the wise and efficient use of resources. For supplying quality goods and services at acceptable prices, business creates obligations to those who provide the resources owners, employees and the community. Business operates the mutual support and co-operation of all these interested groups. In the absence of employee and workers co-operation business would become lifeless, who supply the breath of life, the brain and brawn to any business. "Society wants business as well as all other major institutions to assume significant social responsibility. It has become the hallmark of a mature, global civilization. It is necessary in an independent word. Consequently, as Drucker has observed. "Under any circumstance, we are moving in the direction of demanding that our institutions take responsibility beyond their performance and their own contribution. We will demand this as well-the university, the Hospital, the Government agency, the School and even charitable organizations and places of worship3."

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"We have to give some thing back to the community", asserts an enthusiastic Phil Spender, Managing Director, Ford India Ltd., The Civil awareness movement has never been as strong as it is in India now and has caused companies to buy into the business of being socially responsible The more professional manager is more conscious of his social duties. In "enlightened self interest" that sees poverty equal greater markets equals greater profits. Rose said that "We want not only to make a difference to our bottom line but also to the lives of the people we serve. Only then do we deserve to win". Sound words backed by a sound conscience3. "National Aluminum Company Ltd., (NALCO) the public sector aluminum major, defines its social responsibilities as those activities which will improve the quality of life of its employees and of the people living in the vicinity of its operations.

3.2. ISO & Social Responsibility

ISO, the International Organization for Standardization, has decided to launch the development of an International Standard providing guidelines for social responsibility (SR). The guidance standard will be published in 2010 as ISO 26000 and be voluntary to use. It will not include requirements and will thus not be a certification standard. There is a range of many different opinions as to the right approach ranging from strict legislation at one end to complete freedom at the other. We are looking for a golden middle way that promotes respect and responsibility based on known reference documents without stifling creativity and development. Our work will aim to encourage voluntary commitment to social responsibility and will lead to common guidance on concepts, definitions and methods of evaluation. The need for organizations in both public and private sectors to behave in a socially responsible way is becoming a generalized requirement of society. It is shared by the stakeholder groups that are participating in the WG SR to develop ISO 26000: industry, government, labour, consumers, nongovernmental organizations and others, in addition to geographical and gender-based balance. ISO has chosen SIS, Swedish Standards Institute and ABNT Brazilian Association of Technical Standards to provide the joint leadership of the ISO Working Group on Social Responsibility (WG SR). The WG SR has been given the task of drafting an International Standard for social responsibility that will be published in 2010 as ISO 26000.

4. LABOUR WELFARE
Prosperity of a country depends upon the development and growth of industry, no industry can flourish unless there is industrial peace with cooperation by all the concerned in particular the labour force in this context, labour welfare has tremendous potentialities for posturing good industrial relations. The significance of such activities in a country like India is very great. The establishment of a welfare state is the goal of all efforts of the government in our country. The ultimate goal of welfare state is the well-being of the society as a whole. The happy and contended labour force is one of the main pillars of the society in which the structure of industrial

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relations should rest. For building up a stable and efficient labour force it is essential to bring about a marked improvement in the conditions of worker's life and work. Welfare measures influence the sentiments of the workers. They develop the feeling of friendly relationship. They improve the health of worker and their families, reduce the incidence of vices (able mish) and increases their mental efficiency and economic productivity. Absenteeism and turn-over in Indian industries can be reduced by the provision of adequate welfare facilities. For the first time the establishment of canteens of factories was statutorily laid down by the Factory Act of 1947. Subsequently laws were framed to promote welfare facilities in several industries such as coal, mica, mines, plantation and sugar. With the passage of time a progressive labour code has been enacted. General standard of living and wages of workers have risen. The term welfare is derived from the French phrase "welfare" which means to Fare well. The chambers dictionary defines the term welfare "as a state characterized by happiness, well being or prosperity3".

5. RESEARCH & METHODOLOGY 5.1. Definition of Research

Research is an ORGANIZED and SYSTEMATIC way of FINDING ANSWERS to QUESTIONS.

5.2. Definition of Methodology:

"The analysis of the principles of methods, rules, and postulates employed by a discipline"; "The systematic study of methods that are, can be, or have been applied within a discipline".

6. MATERIALS AND METHODS

Study area: The Singareni Collieries Company Limited- kothagudem -Head quarter of khammam district, Andhra Pradesh state was chosen for the study purpose. The Singareni Collieries Company Limited is the oldest public sector company in India, carrying the coal mining activities in the Godavari valley of Andhra Pradesh and catering to the needs of consumers in southern India by providing the statutory and non statutory benefits to their employees. Sample design and sample size: Random sample procedure was followed to select sample respondents. From the company, looking into the convenience, the total numbers of respondents are 400 selected from 5 different wings. Data collection procedure: Data were collected from the above respondents by using questionnaire specifically designed for the purpose. Processing of data: Processing of data can be done in different ways, they are explained as follows: 1). Editing

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2). Coding 3). Classification 4). Tabulation

7. ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUE: CHI-SQUARE TEST

Tabulated data were analyzed with the help of arithmetic mean and converting into simple percentages to know the extent of welfare provided by the company. Based on the literature survey and experts opinion, variables which are supposed to influence the welfare were selected. In order to evaluate the degree of association between different WINGS in the company, the chi-square (X2) TEST was employed. 2 = (f0-fe) 2/fe Where f0 fe = = observed frequency expected frequency

If the observed frequencies and the expected frequencies are identical, the computed chi square value will be zero. There fore the possible value of chi-square ranges upward from zero. The value obtained from the above procedure was compared with the table value at (r-1)*(c-1) degrees of freedom. Here r and c refer to the number of rows and columns respectively. If the calculated value is greater than the table value, it would be inferred that it is significant. The data which I collected is significant you can observe this in the data analysis and interpretation mentioned below.

8. DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

1) To what extent you are satisfied with the Singareni Seva Samithi Programmes?
SCCL S No. 1) SATISFIED 2) M.SATISFIED 3) H.SATISFIED 4 (8.84) 6 (9.36) 104 8 (5.61) 14 (5.94) 66 8 (5.1) 4 (5.4) 60 4 (11.19) 12 (12.6) 140 10 (2.55) 0 (2.7) 30 34 0.085 8.5 40 (28.6) 30 (18.15) 12 (16.5) 18 (38.5) 10 (8.25) 110 0.275 27.5 99.3651 & 0.0001 Opinion No. of Respondents Hospital 54 (57.2) Education Opencast 14 (36.3) 36 (33) Undermine 106 (77) Personnel 10 (16.5) 220 0.55 A.M % Chi-Square & P Value

55

4)

DISSATISFIED

36 400

0.09 1

9 100

Total

Percentage drawn from different wings

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9 8.5 1 2 55 27.5 3 4

Number of Respondents Drawn From Different Wings

120

100

80

60

40

20

0 Hospital Education Opencast Undermine Personnel

8.1. INTERPRETATION
The two tailed p value is less than 0.0001 by conventional criteria, this difference is considered to be extremely statistically signified. From the above table it is observed that 55% of respondents are satisfied, 2.75% of respondents are moderately satisfied, 8.5% of respondents are highly satisfied and 9% of respondents are dissatisfied.

8.2. To what extent you are satisfied with the present pattern of working hours?
SCCL S No. 1) SATISFIED 2) M.SATISFIED 3) 4) H.SATISFIED DISSATISFIED Opinion Hospital 26 (32.76) 10 (5.08) 68 (56.16) 0 (0) Education 10 (20.79) 16 (9.57) 40 (35.64) 0 (0) Openc ast 30 (18.9) 16 (8.7) 14 (32.4) 0 (0) Undermin e 50 (44.1) 16 (20.3) 74 (75.6) 0 (0) Personnel 10 (9.45) 0 (4.35) 20 (16.2) 0 (0) No. of Respo ndents 126 A.M % Chi-Square & P Value

0.315

31.5

58

0.145

14.5

216 0

0.54 0

46.1446 & 0.0001

54 0

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Total

104

66

60

140

30

400

100

Percentage Drawn From Different Wings

0 31.5 1 2 54 3 4 14.5

80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Hospital Education Opencast Undermine Personnel

8.3. INTERPRETATION
The two tailed p value is less than 0.0001 by conventional criteria, this difference is considered to be extremely statistically signified. Hence we conclude that 31.5% of respondents are satisfied, 14.5% of respondents are moderately satisfied, 54 % of respondents are highly satisfied and 0% of respondents are dissatisfied.

9. CONCLUSION
Thus, in the modern era of "Planning for prosperity" every nation appears to be concentrating all its efforts to evolve an affluent society. Thus, in its broader connotation the term 'welfare' refers to a state of living of an individual or a group in a desirable relationship with total environment - ecological, economic and social. According to Arnold Toynbe, historical, ' The twentieth century will be chiefly remembered not as an age of political conflicts or technical innovations, but as an age in which human society dared to think of the welfare of the whole human race as a practical objective'. This is true of labour welfare as well. The concept of social responsibility in its narrow contours has been equated with economic welfare.

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Conceptually as well as operationally, labour welfare can achieve through social responsibility, which in turn is closely linked to the concept of social welfare and the role of the state. Hence in this way, we can understand the importance of social responsibility towards lab our welfare.

10. REFERENCES
[1] Brandeis, L.D. Business A profession, 1933, PP3-5 [2] Bhagoliwala, T.N. Economics of Labour and Industrial Relations (Sahitya Bhavan, Agra 1981) P.59 [3] Charubala Annunico, The Business of caring outlook, `1999, June 21, PP 46& 47 [4] Drucker Peter F, The concept of the Corporation Business and Society review, Antumn, 1972, P-16. [5] Eells, Richard and Clarance Walton, conceptual foundations of business, Richard D.Irwin, Inc., Home Wood, Illinois, 1961 PP 457-458 [6] Indian Conference of social work, Industrialisation and social work Proceedings of he international conference of social work, Bombay. [7] Ibid P.5 [8] Indian law institute, Labour law and labour relations P.6 [9] Joshi N.M. Trade Union Movement in India., Bombay, 1927, P.26 [10] Keith Devis, can business afford to ignore social responsibilities? California Management review spring 1960. P-70 [11] L.M.Prasad, Principles and practice of Management P-105 [12] Recommendations of Asian trade unions seminar, New Deligi, 30th Nov. to 3rd Dec., 1977. [13] Sharma G.S., Economics Justice and the Indian Constitution some implications of the bonus case, 1966 P. 457 [14] Satya Saran Chatterjee, Modern business, 1961 Satya Saran Chatterjee, Modern business 1961 [15] T.H. Marshall, Citizenship and social class, London, Heinemenn Educational Books, 1963, P.11 [16] Venkata Subba Rao, G.C., Commentaries on the Indian constitution, Part IV PP. 171 to 172 Article 39 and Vaid K.N. Labour Welfare in India 1970 P.22

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