24) Consider the following statements:
- 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 organizing 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
Solution: only 2
The 1881 Act aimed to improve working condtions of labour.
It prohibited the employment of children under the age of seven. It reduced the number of working hours for children below the age of twelve and strictly ordered that dangerous machinery should be fenced properly.
Lokhande was a pioneer of the labour movement in India. He is remembered not only for ameliorating the working conditions of textile mill-workers in the 19th century but also for his courageous initiatives on caste and communal issues.