Employee Welfare is an important facet of industrial relations, the extra dimension, giving satisfaction to the worker in a way which

evens a good wage cannot. With the growth of industrialization and mechanization, it has acquired added importance. The workers in industry cannot cope with the pace of modern life with minimum sustenance amenities. He needs an added stimulus to keep body and soul together. Employers have also realized the importance of their role in providing these extra amenities. And yet, they are not always able to fulfill workers demands however reasonable they might be. They are primarily concerned with the viability of the enterprise. Employee welfare, though it has been proved to contribute to efficiency in production, is expensive. Each employer depending on his priorities gives varying degrees of importance to labour welfare. After employees have been hired, trained and remunerated, they need to be retained and maintained to serve the organization better. Welfare facilities are designed to take care of the wellbeing of the employees, they do not generally result in any monetary benefit to the employees. Employee welfare is a comprehensive term including various services, benefits and facilities offered to employees by the employer. The Oxford dictionary defines employee welfare as efforts to make life worth living for workmen. The labour Investigation Committee preferred to include under Labour Welfare: Anything done for the intellectual, physical, moral and economic betterment of the workers, employers, by government or by other agencies over and about what is laid down by law or what is normally expected of the contractual benefits for which workers may have bargained. BASIC FEATURES OF LABOUR WELFARE: The basic characteristics of labour welfare work may be noted thus: a) It is the work, which is usually undertaken with in the premises or in the vicinity of the undertakings for the benefits employees and the members of their families. b) The work generally includes those items of welfare which are over and above what is provided by statutory provisions are required by the custom of the industry or the employees expect as a results of a contract of services from the employers. c) The purpose of providing welfare amenities is to bring about the development of the whole personality of the worker-his social, psychological, economic, moral, and cultural and intellectual development to make him a good worker, a good citizen and a good member of the family. d) These facilities may be provided voluntarily by progressive and enlightened entrepreneurs at their own accord out of their realization of social responsibility towards labour or statutory provisions may compel them to make these facilities available: or these may be under taken by the government or trade unions, if they have the necessary funds for the purpose. e) Labour welfare is a very broad term, covering social securities and such other activities as medical aid, crches, canteens, recreations, housing, adult education, arrangements for the transports of labour to and from the work place. f) It may be noted that not only intra mural but also extra mural, statutory as well as non statutory activities, undertaken by any of the three agencies- the employers, trade unions or the government- for the physical and mental development of worker, both as a compensation for wear and tear the undergoes as part of the production process and also to enable him to sustain and improve upon the basic capacity of contribution on the processes of production, which are all the species of the longer family encompassed by the term Labour Welfare

Statutory provisions The factories act, 1948; the mines act, 1952; the plantation labour act, 1951; and some other acts mandate these. Of all these, the factories act is more significant and hence is covered in detail here. The factories act: The act was first conceived in 1881 where legislation was enacted to protect children and to provide health and safety measures. Later, hours of work were sought to be regulated and were, therefore, incorporated in the act in 1911. The act was amended and enlarged in 1934 following the recommendations of the royal commission of the labour. A more comprehensive legislation to regulate working conditions replaced the act in 1948. The welfare amenities provided under the act are given below: a) Washing facilities (S. 42) b) Facilities for storing and dry clothing (S. 43) c) Sitting facilities for occasional rest for workers who are obliged to work standing (S. 44) d) First aid boxes or cupboards- one for every 150 workers and ambulance facilities, if there are more than 500 workers (S. 45) e) Canteens, if employing more than 250 workers (S. 46) f) Shelters, rest rooms and lunchrooms, if employing over 150 workers (S.47) g) Crche, if employing more than 30 women(S. 48) h) Welfare officer, if employing 500 or more workers (S.49) Non-statutory provisions Non-statutory benefits, also called voluntary benefits, include loans for house building, education of children; leave travel concession, fair price shops, loans for purchasing personnel conveyance and a host of other facilities Employee Welfare at BHEL BHEL has a vast infrastructure to support all needs. BHEL is one of the dynamic manufacturing industries. Most of the employees are rewarded or promoted only according to their performance and very few are promoted through seniority based rewards. The company provides a rest room facility. Most of the workers are satisfied with the drinking water facility provided by the company. The medical and first aid facility which is mandated as per Factories Act has been adequately provided for by BHEL. The workers are given and are satisfied with the casual leave, sick leave and earned leave provided by the Company. Good working environment health, security, safety, welfare measures and leave and holidays and other facilities have been provided for. The Company provides for vehicle benefits. The Company provides for leave travel allowance and personal accident scheme.