Duties of Welfare Officer under Factories Act

Shubhangi Jain

20 Aug, 2022

The harmony between the workers and the factory management is essential to facilitate the smooth functioning of the operations of the factory, which can be achieved by ensuring the welfare of the workers, the responsibility of which falls under the purview of the Welfare Officer of the factory. Therefore the fulfilment of the Duties of the Welfare Officer becomes important to achieve such harmony.

This article discusses the Duties of the Welfare Officer, which can help the factory’s welfare activities.

Who is a Welfare Officer?

Section 49 of the Factories Act 1948^[1] states that welfare officer is a person appointed by the occupier wherein the number of employees employed in the factory is more than five hundred to perform the duties related to the welfare activities within the factory.

What are the Duties of a Welfare Officer under the Factories Act?

The duties of a welfare Officer are as follows-

Provide Amenities to Workers

The welfare officer must assist in providing basic amenities to the workers. The basic amenities include –

• Canteens
• Crèches
• Shelters of Rest
• Latrine Facilities
• Drinking Water
• Sickness Schemes
• Pension and Superannuation of Funds
• Granting Loan 
• Gratuity Payment
• Legal Advice
• Any other amenities as prescribed by the State Government

Assist the Factory Management

The welfare officer must assist the management in regulating the grant of leaves with wages and explaining the relevant provisions related to the leaves with wages and other leave privileges, together with guiding the workers in submitting leave applications.

Advice on Welfare Provisions

Another duty among the Duties of a Welfare officer is to advise the management of the factories on the provisions related to welfare facilities like housing facilities, food, social and recreational facilities, and sanitation, along with advice on personnel issues and education of children.

Intimate the management about the grievances of workers

The Welfare officer is obligated to intimate the factory management about the grievances of the workers, both individual and collective, by acting as a bridge between the workers and the management to ensure speedy redressal of the grievances of the workers.

Maintain harmonious relations between workers, factory management

One of the essential duties of a welfare officer, which forms a part of the Duties of Welfare Officer, is maintaining a harmonious relationship between the workers and the factory management by holding consultations and establishing contracts between the parties.

Coordinate with the Workers to enable the formulation of Welfare Policies

 The welfare officer needs to effectively coordinate with the factory workers and study and understand the opinion of the workers to help the factory management formulate the welfare policies and interpret the same in the language understood by the workers.

Monitor the Industrial Relations

Another duty of the Welfare Officer is to monitor the industrial relations and use his influence in case of any dispute between the management and the workers ensuring settlement between parties through persuasive efforts.

Advise the Management about the Fulfilment of statutory Obligations

The welfare officer must advise the factory management on matters related to the fulfilment of statutory obligations or any other obligations. The obligations include but are not restricted to –

• Working hours
• Medical care
• Maternity benefit,
• Compensation for injuries and sickness
• Any other welfare and social benefit measures

Help the workers to adjust to the working environment.

The welfare officer must help the workers adjust to the working environment, which can be done by promoting healthy relations among the workers and other departments of the factory that can enhance the productivity of the workers.

Supervise the Welfare Committees

One of the Duties of Welfare Officer is to encourage the formation of welfare committees, credit cooperative societies, and Work and Joint production Committees and supervise their operations.

Guide the Factory Management on Regulation of workers in the Factory

The welfare officer can guide the Factory management on the following matters

• Questions regarding the training of new starters
• Apprentices, workers on transfer and promotion, instructors and supervisors,
• Supervision and control of notice board and information bulletins to further education of workers
• Attendance of workers at technical institutes

 Act as Secretary of the Industrial Panchayat

The welfare officer must act as the Secretary of the Industrial Panchayat and help the panchayat in the capacity of the Secretary by fulfilling the obligations associated with the same.

Restrain the workers and Management from any illegal Activities 

It is the duty of the welfare officer to exercise his influence and retrain the workers in going for strikes as well as the management in declaring illegal lockouts.

Conclusion

It can be concluded from the above article that a welfare officer plays a vital role in the management of the factory workers and majorly act as a bridge between the workers and the factory management; therefore, it is important for a welfare officer to perform his duties effectively.

Read our Article: Duties of Occupier under Factories Act 1948