Consider the following statements: 1.The Factories Act, 1881 was passed with a view to fix the wages of industrial workers and to allow the workers to form trade unions. 2. N.M. Lokhande was a pioneer in organizing the labour movement in British India. Wh

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Q: 24 (IAS/2017)
Consider the following statements:
1.The Factories Act, 1881 was passed with a view to fix the wages of industrial workers and to allow the workers to form trade unions.
2. N.M. Lokhande was a pioneer in organizing the labour movement in British India.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?

question_subject: 

History

question_exam: 

IAS

stats: 

0,72,66,11,72,44,11

keywords: 

{'trade unions': [1, 0, 0, 0], 'industrial workers': [1, 0, 1, 3], 'labour movement': [0, 0, 0, 1], 'workers': [2, 1, 6, 18], 'british india': [2, 1, 6, 8], 'wages': [2, 0, 0, 5], 'pioneer': [1, 0, 0, 2]}

Option 1: The Factories Act, 1881 was passed with a view to fix the wages of industrial workers and to allow the workers to form trade unions.

This statement is incorrect. The Factories Act, 1881 was actually passed with the objective of regulating the working conditions in the factories in British India. It aimed to ensure the safety, health, and welfare of the workers employed in factories and to impose certain obligations on the factory owners. The Act contained provisions related to the use of machinery, employment of children and women, ventilation, lighting, cleanliness, and sanitation in the factories. It did not include any provision related to fixing the wages of the workers or allowing them to form trade unions.

It is important to note that the concept of fixing minimum wages for workers and allowing them to form trade unions was introduced much later in India. The Trade Unions Act, 1926 provided for the registration of trade unions and gave legal recognition to their right to organize and bargain collectively. The Minimum Wages Act, 1948 was enacted to fix minimum wages for workers employed in certain industries.

Option 2: N.M. Lokhande was a pioneer in organizing the labour movement in British India.

This statement is correct. Narayan Meghaji Lokhande, popularly known as N.M. Lokhande, was a prominent figure in the Indian labor movement during the British Raj. He was born in 1864 in a small village in Maharashtra and started working in a cotton mill at the age of 13. He became involved in the labor movement in the 1880s and worked towards organizing workers and improving their working conditions.

Lokhande was one of the founders of the Bombay Mill Hands Association, which was established in 1890 to represent the interests of mill workers in Bombay (now Mumbai). He was also involved in the formation of the Indian Federation of Labor in 1920 and served as its president. Lokhande played a key role in organizing strikes and agitations to demand better wages and working conditions for workers.

In conclusion, the correct option is Option 2: 2 only. The Factories Act, 1881 was passed to regulate the working conditions in factories and did not include provisions related to fixing wages or allowing workers to form trade unions. However, N.M. Lokhande was indeed a pioneer in organizing the labor movement in British India.