A Study of Welfare Facilities Provided to Construction Employees: A Review of Literatures

Abstract

Construction industry in India is one of the important sector which contribute to the GDP of the nation. Post-independence India has become a developing country and now a day’s Indian economy is ranked at no. four in a world. To generate the income from economy it is important to provide well infrastructural facilities to faster the transportation, from this point of view construction industry is a key player in economy of any nation. Construction industry is key player in any economy but employees in this industry are key players of this industry. It important to provide welfare facilities to the employees in a construction industry for the wellbeing of employees and their families.

Keywords

Introduction

Construction employees are from the unorganised sector. Central governments and state governments are continuously working to provide the more and more welfare facilities to the employees in unorganised sector. Construction employee are really working hard and giving their contribution to the development of the nation. By considering this contribution central government formed welfare board for the building and other construction workers, also state government are bind to the form such boards and provide welfare measures to construction employee under heads of social security, educational benefits, financial benefits etc. the motto of these all welfare facilities is to encourage the construction employees and improve their and their families standard of life, social status which will result in improvement of this sector. Here in this research work researcher reviewed various research article, journals, magazines and books to study the present condition of the welfare facilities provided to the construction employees in India as well as ain other countries.

REVIEW OF LITERATURES:

Rajgopal N. N, Dr. Achchi Kumudini (2022) In this study it is observed that, the present study stresses on urgent need for government welfare schemes to provide opportunity for lower income group so that their financial problem could be solved to a larger extent and there is also a need for training the worker, educate them and make them understand their rights, and existing government schemes and benefits. Government has various plans for the upliftment of their condition, but they are not implemented in a systematic way. The process from which workers get benefit from government is corrupted by middle men. This is because ignorance and illiteracy of construction workers allows Intermediate activities to take all benefit. Construction workers are victimized in their work place without their knowledge. Although there are many welfare schemes available, in reality they are not implemented on ground level that is at the construction sites. Both labourer and contractor are not aware of the welfare programs. For both the group completing the work allotted is only the priority. Thus, there is an urgent need to pay attention on these issues and policies should be made more serious to improve the overall socio-economic and working conditions of the construction workers. During the interview the researcher could educate the construction workers by discussing various programmes, schemes, benefits, legislations implemented by both central Government and State government for the welfare of the construction workers. Labour welfare being one of the specializations of Social work Profession, there is a need for social worker in order to provide information to the construction workers hence educating them through proper communication.

Dok Yen D. Nana Tabi M., K., Adinyira E. (2018) The study discovered that 69% of Ghanaian construction site workers are dissatisfied with the current level of provision of welfare facilities at their various sites. This dissatisfaction is due to the fact that the majority of Ghanaian contractors do not provide the required welfare facilities recommended by the Health and Safety regulations. The researchers also observed that the majority of the sites had an inadequate number of Welfare facilities on site, several cases of poor condition of facilities and so on and so forth, when these researchers visited the sites for this study, it is a clear justification also why majority of the respondents were not satisfied with the provision of welfare facilities at their site. However, clean and hygienic environment, accessibility of facilities, adequate number of welfare facilities, maintenance of welfare facilities, illumination of space, and closeness of welfare facilities were found to be the critical factors that influence workers satisfaction at construction sites in Ghana.

Roy Shamindra Nath, Naik Manish, Mukta (2017) In this study it is found that, Given the importance of the construction sector in creating mass employment, the welfare regime under the Act is a golden opportunity to increase the productivity of this vital sector through improvements to working and living conditions for workers. The data suggests that States need to streamline processes and act with a sense of urgency to deliver these benefits, and are likely to see positive economic impacts if they do so. This will ensure that construction workers, especially migrants, are not left out of the economic growth story that they play an integral role in creating.

Tikoo S., Gupta J. and Meenu (2013) One percent of the total project cost should be spent on the welfare of the workers which can be utilized in the times of emergencies. Arrangement for speedy and better delivery of medical assistance to the workers should be made. The welfare services should improve the working and living conditions of the workers and their families because workers’ welfare cannot be achieved in isolation so arrangement for better accommodation and crèche should be made.

Gopalakrishnan G., Dr. Brindha G., (2017) Finally to conclude, it is a known fact that until the poor working class is supported by legal body like trade unions, it is difficult to get their statutory rights from their employers. Hardly any employer in construction industry is willing to extend voluntary welfare benefits. Therefore, the trade union should come forward to support the life of migrant workers. There is no job security in the industry, any workers raises a question about his right is sent out immediately. While dismissing the worker, their entitlement like gratuity, notice pay, retrenchment benefits are not given. Government can make legislations for the benefit of unorganized workers, but its purpose is solved only when the benefit reaches the worker. This is possible only when trade union turn towards unorganized sector workers sympathetically. Unless the trade unions think of unorganized workers compassionately, the legislation that government makes will remain in papers only

Mr Jadav Yash, Dr Shah Vaishali (2023) From the survey conducted, we can say that most of the staffs seemed to be satisfied with the given welfare facilities and most of them have total idea about the facilities. The Welfare facility provided by organisation has helped the employees to contribute and it has also helped them to stay motivated. The company provides good non-statutory benefits to the employees. Apart from the statutory benefits company also provides mutual benefits which are a good sign from the part of the employer to show that they really care about the people working there. At present the facilities rendered to the employees are of very good quality. They are ready to welcome more new mutual welfare facilities and have no major complaints about any welfare facilities.

Gyamfi Timothy Adu, Akorli King Solomon, Osae Samuel, Addy Edward Nana (2021) In this study it is concluded that, Provision of welfare facilities at construction sites is so essential to employee’s well-being and health; but all types of welfare facilities provided at the construction site within Asuogyaman District and New Juaben Municipality in the Eastern Region of Ghana were not adequate. Even at some of the construction site, most welfare facilities are not available. Furthermore, workers are not satisfied with the various states of welfare facilities provisions on site. It has been seen that, provision of the welfare facilities enhances construction workers performance and also impact on their health, physical and mental efficiency, alertness, morale and overall efficiency of the worker and contributes to the higher productivity. Provision of a suitable welfare facility should be given a needed attention at a given construction site.

Varadraj A., Charumathi D (January 2019) Employee welfare is a comprehensive term including various services, facilities, and services provided to employees for their furtherance. Thus from this study, it is found that the welfare measures provided by the Construction industry directly impact the work competence of the employees. Proper welfare measures should be provided to persuade the employees and increase proficiency and effectiveness. The Company should take steps to create awareness among the employees about the welfare measures provided as it falls under the rights of the employee to know about the welfare measures provided for him/her by the company.

Sastera Burhanudin, Mauludin Hanif (May 2018) Economic employee benefit program in PT. Cheil Jedang Indonesia Pasuruan factory has a negative effect on employee morale but not significant. Facilitative employee benefit program in PT. Cheil Jedang Indonesia Pasuruan factory has a positive effect on employee morale and significant. Services employee benefit program in PT. Cheil Jedang Indonesia Pasuruan factory has a positive effect on employee morale and significant. Employee morale in PT. Chei lJedang Indonesia Pasuruan factory has a positive effect on employee performance and significant.

Ilfariz Mohamad Noor, Ibrahim Abdul Rahim, Hamid Abdul, Zaid Mohammed Hatem, Nuhu Abba, Islam Mohammad Saiful, Bah Alpha Umaru (2020) Based on the objectives of study, the conclusions are: we conclude that the respondents are aware of the welfare facilities and the documents that specified the clauses for the welfare provision in the contract documents; therefore, it is clearly indicates that provisions are already made available for professionals and stakeholders in the construction industry. The awareness of welfare facilities at the construction sites requirement in relation to the Malaysian law and code of practice were at satisfactory level, meaning that the professionals and the stakeholders were well acquainted with the knowledge of Malaysian laws and code of practice. The current state of welfare facilities was at moderate and satisfactory level. The optimum checklist was found to be at important level. This means that proposed checklist of the welfare facilities that could be used at the construction sites in Malaysia in this paper have been agreed upon to be classified as important to be implemented.

Public Affairs Centre (2021) In this study it is observed that, The huge corpus of cess fund remained unspent with the Karnataka Building and Other Construction Workers’ Welfare Board could be used for occupational health and safety, establishment and operations of help lines and grievance redressal system, creating an awareness drive for construction workers and distribution of sanitary pads to women workers. Special drives to register women construction workers and providing basic facilities such as separate toilets, crèche for their children, should be arranged in sites where they are working. Appropriate amendments to the current Gazette should be able to achieve this objective.

Ahovi Godfred (2016) In this study it is found that, to evaluate workers’ satisfaction with welfare facilities and receive feedback to improve on the existing situation, which was the aim of the report, a literature reviewed was performed. The Objectives of the study are to determine the minimum requirements of welfare facilities, to determine the adequacy of welfare facilities on site and determine those factors which influence workers’ satisfaction with welfare provisions. The scope of this report was limited to contractors working on Knust campus. Twelve welfare facilities were identified. These facilities became part of a questionnaire which was carefully designed to gather information on the research objectives. Respondents were asked to indicate the facilities that were available and accessible to them and then state the number of each. On a Likert scale base on a five-point scale, the satisfactory level and factors influencing workers’ satisfaction of each of the facilities marked available was evaluated.

Zaid Mohammed, Hatem, (2019) In this study it is concluded that, the need for welfare in the construction site is one of the primary resources available to the contractor or site manager. In fact, the site becomes crucial and important part for the production of the building project. The aim of the welfare facilities in the construction is to maximize the production and optimize time, cost and minimize accident, illness of the workforce by giving priority and importance to their safety and well-being and all of this can be satisfy their basic requirements needs during the construction process due to these reasons.

Simi S. V. (2014) In her research thesis explains that, Construction workers are the founders of the national reconstruction process. The growth rate of the workforce in the construction sector is much higher than that in other sectors of the economy. Compared to other sectors, the entire activity in the construction sector is seasonal, intermittent and mostly interconnected. The unique characteristic of the construction industry poses difficulties in the implementation of labour welfare measures as compared to other industries. Construction workers are exploited because they are socially backward, unorganized, uninformed and poor. Workers mostly comprise landless labour, which move to cities in search of work, where they are exploited by contractors. The social protection is virtually nonexistent due to the reasons such as its casual nature, temporary relationship between employers and employees, lack of basic amenities and inadequacy of welfare facilities.

Kumbhar D. R. (2009) In their research work it is observed that, Construction activity is an integral part of a country’s infrastructure and industrial development; it includes hospitals, schools, townships, offices, houses, and other buildings, urban infrastructure (including water supply sewerage, drainage) highways, roads, ports, railways, airports, power system, irrigation and agriculture systems, telecommunications etc. The construction becomes the basic input for socio–economic development of country. Besides, the construction industry generates substantial employment and provides a growth impetus to other sectors through backward and forward linkages. Therefore, this vital activity is nurtured for the healthy growth of the economy. The Government of India has done massive investment in creating physical infrastructure during the 10th plan. Therefore, the construction industry would play a crucial role in this regard and it will gear itself to meet the challenges. In order to meet the intended investment targets in time, the current capacity of the domestic construction industry would need to strengthen.

S.V.S. Rajaprasad and P.V. Chalapathi (2015) According to them, construction industry in India provides less safety measures compare to other industries in country. Occupational health and safety issues becomes the major concern to the construction Industry. To avoid or minimize these issues they studied how Occupational Health Safety Assessment Series (OHSAS) 18001 is used to improve safety performance. They worked on nine factors whose result will be helpful to the Management for decision making and identity which factors are influencing OHSAS 18001.

Shwetha., Dr. Ramakrishna B. M. (2022) In their research article on awareness of welfare benefits among construction workers in Mangalore city concluded that, Welfare plays a vital role in improving their productivity and job satisfaction. Construction labour are the backbone of the countries development People in Karnataka are fully aware with the welfare facilities provided by the Karnataka government to the construction labour but still their need of creating awareness among workers for getting more benefits under various schemes provided by the Karnataka government.

Dr. K. A Rajanna (2016) In this article researcher focused on the social security to the women construction worker. According to researcher social security is important aspects in providing welfare majors to the women. In most of the other countries they sets hardcore rules on social policies of the country. Also found that, most i.e. more than 50% of women did not having insurance. Even more no. of employee are still aware with the welfare schemes provided by the Karnataka government.

Jayeshkumar Ratilal Khatsuriya, Aditi Gaur (2024) This study focuses on the influence of welfare and industrial safety management practices on employee satisfaction within construction units which are situated in the northern region of India. For this study a comprehensive questionnaire, developed through a synthesis of literature review, pilot testing, and expert evaluation, was administered to gather responses from 475 respondents across various job categories within 18 construction units, constituting a population size of 3850 individuals. Subsequent to data collection, a rigorous analysis was conducted, employing both descriptive and inferential methodologies. The findings underscore a robust positive correlation between the adoption of welfare and industrial safety management practices and the augmentation of employee satisfaction. Further, the study illuminates the fostering of a favorable organizational attitude among employees and an increased inclination to remain with their current employers. Notably, these practices have significantly contributed to heightened safety awareness, bolstered accident prevention measures, enhanced safety performance, and cultivated a stronger sense of workplace safety. These studies underscore the pivotal role of efficacious welfare and industrial safety measures in nurturing a supportive work environment elevating employee satisfaction levels at construction sites. However, it is imperative to acknowledge the limitations of this study, including its geographical and industry-specific scope, as well as its reliance on self-reported data, which may introduce biases. Accordingly, future research endeavors are recommended to expand the investigation across diverse regions and sectors, employing longitudinal studies to elucidate the enduring impacts of these practices on enhancing employee satisfaction and fostering the overall growth of the construction industry.

CONCLUSION:

From the study it is concluded that, In general the welfare facilities provided to construction employees are divided into two type’s i.e. statutory welfare facilities and non-statutory welfare facilities. Statutory welfare are the compulsory provided by the law through the government and the employers whereas non statutory welfare facilities are not compulsory but employer provides it to retain and motivate the construction employees. Statutory welfare facilities like washing facilities, drinking water, hygienic food, leaves etc. are provided to the construction employees where as non-statutory welfare facilities like health and awareness programs, flexible work hours, financial support, and other company sponsored facilities are provided to the construction employees.

REFERENCE

1. Ahovi Godfred (2016). Evaluation of Workers’ Satisfaction with Welfare Provisions on Site, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
2. Dok Yen D. Nana Tabi M., K., Adinyira E. (2018). Assessing the Adequacy of Welfare Facilities on Construction Sites in Ghana, International Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 7(4): 162-167
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5. Gyamfi Timothy Adu, Akorli King Solomon, Osae Samuel, Addy Edward Nana (2021) Examining the Impact of Welfare Facilities on Building Construction Employee’s Performance in the Eastern Region of Ghana, Journal of Building Construction and Planning Research, Page No. 40-55
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