STATE’S OBLIGATIONS TO LABOUR 299
Government think it enough not to do anything more than to change the name of the organisation as recommended by the Committee. The Conference is meeting under different names, such as Ministers’ Conference, Tripartite Conference and Plenary Conference. I am glad that the Committee decided to call it the ‘Labour Conference’. Notwithstanding what Shakespeare has said there is much in a name. The name ‘Labour Conference’ may not have a partite’ or ‘Plenary’. The only comment I have to make is that the name as proposed by the Committee lacks colouring—a defect which could be easily removed if instead of calling it ‘Labour Conference’ we decided to call it the ‘ Indian Labour Conference’. I take it that you are in agreement with me on this point.
“There is another thing which Government propose to do, which is quite independent of the report. It is to enlarge the functions of this Conference.
“At the last I.L.O. Conference held in Paris the delegate of the Government of India gave an undertaking to place all recommendations and Conventions passed by the I.L.O., before, this body for discussion. The Government of India have decided to honour that undertaking. I am sure you will welcome this extension of your powers and functions. It will enable the Provinces and States to know what was done at each Session of the I.L.O. and profit by the views of the employers and employees in regard to it.”
CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS
The Indian Labour Conference, consisting of the representatives of Central and Provincial Governments, important states and employers’ and workers’ organisations unanimously supported the principle of the 48-hour week in India’s factories at its meeting on November 27. There was, more or less, complete agreement in regard to the Government’s proposals for the statutory provision of industrial canteens and for the amendment of the Workmen’s Compensation Act, 1934.
The Labour Department’s memorandum on the reduction of working hours pointed out that it was both unjust and unwise to deny the workers a reasonable amount of spare time away from the factory, which was indispensable for the building up of citizenship and for the maintenance