- 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.
- N.M. Lokhande was a pioneer in organising the labour movement in British India.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
- Answer: (b)
Statement 1 is not correct: The first Factory Act was passed in 1881. It aimed to improve the working conditions of labour. The Act prohibited the employment of children under the age of seven, limited the number of working hours for children below the age of twelve and required that dangerous machinery should be fenced properly. Thus, for the first time, the British Government tried to improve the working conditions of labourers in factories. It neither fixed the wages of industrial workers nor allowed the workers to form trade unions exclusively.
Statement 2 is correct: N.M Lokhande was a pioneer of the labour movement in British India. He is remembered for working towards improving the working conditions of textile mill-hands in the 19th century and for his courageous initiatives on caste and communal issues.
Elimination technique: We know that N.M Lokhande was a pioneer of the labour movement in British India. Hence we are left with the b and c now if we see 1st statement closely it is too deep for a first labour code to talk about fixing the wages of industrial workers, so 1st statement is incorrect.
