A Project Report On Absenteeism among the tea garden labourers: A case study on the Mancottta Tea Garden A dissertation

n submitted To Dibrugarh University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of Bachelor Degree in Commerce with speciality in Human Resource Management

DHSK Commerce College Session 2010-2011

Submitted by: Name Registration No. Roll No. : Bidish Goswami : 09000935, Year: 2009 : 16230187

CERTIFICATE This is to certify that the dissertation entitled Absenteeism among the tea garden labourers: A case study on the Mancotta Tea Garden, written and submitted by Bidish Goswami (Registration no. 09000935 of 2009 , Roll no. - 16230187) towards the partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of Bachelor Degree in Commerce with speciality in Human Resource Management , is a record of genuine Project Work done by Bidish Goswami under my guidance and supervision . The dissertation of any part thereof has not been submitted to any other University / Institution for any other Degree , Diploma or Title .

Countersigned by :

( Mrs. Kalpana Khound ) Principal , i/c D.H.S.K. Commerce College Dibrugarh.

( Dr.(Mrs) C . Roy ) Supervisor Associate Professor Deptt.of Economics & HRM D.H.S.K. Commerce College Dibrugarh.

II

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.
This project work is a result of inspiration, encouragement and co-operation of many persons associated with it. In this regard, at first I would like to offer my heartiest thanks to my Supervisor, Dr. (Mrs.) Chitra Roy, Prof. Dept. of Economics and HRM, DHSK Commerce College, Dibrugarh under whose supervision and precious guidance this project work has been completed. During the course of my study she was always there to help me out for which act of kindness I shall remain indebted to her. Words of special appreciation and thankfulness and deepest sense of gratitude to Prof. Dr. Shantanu Goswami , M.A.,L.LB, Ph.D. , Professor and HOD , Department of Economics & HRM , D.H.S.K. Commerce college, Dibrugarh, for his untiring and generous help , encouragement , valuable guidance , kind advices and essential suggestions whenever I approached him I express my sincere gratitude to Prof. P.Das , M.A. ; Prof. Bikash Gogoi , M.A. , Department of Economics & HRM , D.H.S.K Commerce college , Dibrugarh , for rendering generous help , constructive criticism , valuable and timely suggestions during the entire project work. I would also like to express my thankfulness to the Library Staff of the D.H.S.K. Commerce College and especially to Sri Suraj Gogoi for the help I have received. I am always grateful and offer my personal thanks to the tea garden labourers without whose interview the project would not have been completed. I offer my heartfelt thanks to the Senior Manager of the Garden, Mr. S. Agarwala, the Welfare Officer, Mr. D. Konwar; Mr. Prabhat Gogoi and the other office staff members of the Mancotta Tea Garden for allowing me to go through their official records for data collection which were of great help for the study.

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Finally, I find no words to express my depth of gratitude to immortal love and blessings of my beloved parents, Mr. Pritom Goswami and Mrs. Mrinali Devi, who had brought me up to this stage and encouraged me in every step of it. The constant encouragement, support, love and affection from all my friends and relatives acted as an inspiring force and helped me to make the project work possible.

IV

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The present project work on Absenteeism among the Tea Garden labourers: A case study on the Mancotta Tea Estate is an empirical study prepared on the basis of information collected from the management and 120 labourers of the Mancotta Tea Estate, situated about five kilometers from Dibrugarh Town. This Project Report is divided into three chapters. The main objectives of the present study is to find out the rate of absenteeism among the labourers of the garden, to study the reasons behind absenteeism of the labourers, to study about the steps taken by the garden authority to reduce the problem of absenteeism in their garden and to study about the workers attitude towards absenteeism. Some of the major observations made on the basis of the findings of the study are that that the rate of absenteeism among the labourers of the Mancotta Tea Garden is very high. The literacy rate among the workers of the garden is very low. It is also seen that the wage level of the labourers is very low (below ` 2000 per month). One of the major causes of absenteeism, found in the garden is the bad health of the workers or their family members. Besides this some other important reasons for the absenteeism among the labourers are alcoholism, workers morale, absence after social and cultural ceremonies and even the absence of adequate welfare facilities to be provided lead to the problem of absenteeism. Moreover some suggestions on the basis of the study have been forwarded to control the problem of absenteeism which will be beneficial for both the labourers as well as the garden management.

CONTENTS

Page no.

1. CERTIFICATE 2. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 3. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 4. CONTENTS 5. LIST OF TABLES. 6. LIST OF FIGURES

I II III IV V-VI VII VIII

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Absenteeism 1.2 Types of absenteeism 1.3 Causes of absenteeism 1.4 Methods to control absenteeism 1.5 Calculation of the rate of absenteeism 1.6 Statement of the problem 1.7 Scope of the study 1.8 Objective of the study 1.9 Hypothesis of the study 1.10Rationality of the study 1.11Methodology 1.12Topical organisation

18 2 3 3 4 6 6 6 6 7 7 78 8

CHAPTER II: FINDINGS OF THE STUDY A. Analysis of data collected from the management 14 B. Analysis of data collected from the labourers 44 VI

9 44 10

15

CHAPTER III: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION 53 3.1 Summary of the information collected from the management. 47 3.2 Summary of the information collected from labourers. 50 3.3 Inferences on the Hypothesis.

45

46

48 49

50

3.4 Conclusions. 52
3.5 Suggestions.

50 51

53

ANNEXURE - I: Bibliography. ANNEXURE - II: Interview schedule of the management. ANNEXURE - III: Interview schedule of the labourers.

VII LIST OF TABLES

Table no.

Title 1. Rate of absenteeism of the permanent labourers 2. Rate of absenteeism of the casual labourers 3. Age wise distribution of the labourers 4. Distribution of the respondents on the basis of their education 5. Sex wise distribution of the labourers 6. Distribution on the basis of marital status 7. Distribution on the basis of number of children of the respondents 8. Length of service in the garden 9. Monthly wages (in `) 10. eekly presence in work W 11. ealth condition of the labourers H

Page no. 12 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 23 23 25 26 27,28,29 30 31 32 33,34,35 36 37 38 40,41,42 44

12(A) 12(B) 13(A) 13(B) 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21.

Absence in work due to health problems: No. of workers Absence in work due to health problems: No. of days Absence in work due to health problems of family concern Days of absence in work due to health problems of family concern Provisions of adequate medical facilities Working outside the garden Ways of managing livelihood during absence Facilities provided Absence after social ceremonies and festivals Different aspects of alcohol consumption Workers awareness on the evil effects of absenteeism Absence for no reason

VIII

Fig. no.

Title 1 Age wise distribution of the labourers . 2 Sex wise distribution of the labourers . 3 Distribution on the basis of marital status 4 Length of service in the garden 5 Monthly wages (in `) 6 Health condition of the labourers 7 Absence in work due to health problems: No. of workers 8 Absence in work due to health problems of family concern 9 Ways of managing livelihood during absence

Page no. 16 17 18 21 22 24 26 29 36 38 39 43

10 Absence after social ceremonies and festivals 11 Different aspects of alcohol consumption 12 Workers awareness on the evil effects of absenteeism LIST OF FIGURES

CHAPTER - I

INTRODUCTION

1.1

Absenteeism:
The term absenteeism generally means employees staying absent from work.

It is the absence of an employee when he is scheduled to work. The word absenteeism for the first time was defined in a circular of the Labour Department, Government of India. It was issued to provincial governments. The circular defined absenteeism as total man-shifts lost because of absence of a percentage of the total number of man-shifts scheduled.1 The co-operation of the labourers and workers in an industry or an organisation is very important for the better health and smooth running of that organisation. Absenteeism is one of the vexing problems of almost all the organisations which not only adversely affect the management but also its working environment, its production schedule and finally the profit of that organisation. In real terms absenteeism is the failure to report for work when a worker is scheduled to work. A worker is considered as a scheduled worker when the employer has works available for him and that worker is aware of it. It hurts the organisation badly resulting in the loss of production, increased cost of hiring additional staff and low morale among the workers of that organisation. According to the Websters Dictionary, absenteeism is the practice or habit of being an absence, and an absenter is one who regularly stays away.2 The various definitions forwarded by different institutions regarding absenteeism are as follows:
1 Saxena R.C., Saxena S.R., labour problem and social welfare [prakash Kendra publication] lucknow, 1992. pp. 43 2 gupta, S.K. & Joshi Rosy, Human Resource Management, Kalyani publisher, New Delhi, fourth and enlarged print, 2007. pp. 31.6 3 Bhagoliwal, Dr. T.N., Personnel Management and Industrial Relations, Sahitya Bhawan Publications, Agra, 1996. pp. 211. 4 Bhagoliwal, Dr. T.N., Personnel Management and Industrial Relations, Sahitya Bhawan Publications, Agra, 1996. pp. 211

According to the Encyclopedia of social science absenteeism is time lost in industrial establishments by the avoidable and un-avoidable absence of employees.3 Another definition on the report of the working party of the Cotton Textile Industries defines that absenteeism is the average percentage of workers absent from work per day for any reason4. The problem of absenteeism is not just a problem of the under-developed countries but has become a global phenomenon.

1.2 Types of Absenteeism:

Absenteeism is of four types viz 1) Authorised Absenteeism: If an employee absents himself from work by taking permission from superior and applying for leave, such Absenteeism is called authorized Absenteeism. 2) Unauthorised Absenteeism: If any employee absents himself from work without informing or taking permission and without applying for leave, such absenteeism is called Unauthorized Absenteeism. 3) Willful Absenteeism: If any employee absents himself from duty willfully, such Absenteeism is called Willful Absenteeism. 4) Absenteeism caused by circumstances beyond ones control: If any employee absent himself from duty owing to the circumstances beyond his control like involvement in accidents (or) sudden sickness, such absenteeism is called Absenteeism caused by circumstances beyond ones control.
1.3

Causes of Absenteeism:

The following are the general causes of the Absenteeism 1. Maladjustment with the working conditions: If the working conditions of the company are poor, the workers cannot adjust themselves with the companys working conditions. Then they prefer to stay away from the company. 2. Social and religious ceremonies: Social & religious functions divert the workers attention from the work. 3. Unhealthy working conditions: The poor and intolerable working conditions in the factories irritate the working excess heat, noise, either too much or too low

lighting, poor ventilation, dust, smoke cause poor health of the workers. This factory causes the workers to be absent. 4. Poor welfare facilities: Though a number of legislation concerning welfare facility are enacted, many organizations fail to provide welfare facilities. This is either due to the poor financial position of the companies (or) due to the exploitative attitude of the employs. The welfare facilities includes poor sanitation, washing, bathing first aid appliances, ambulance, restrooms drinking water, canteen, shelter, crches etc. The dissatisfied worker with these facilities prefers to be away from the workplace. 5. Alcoholism: Workers mostly prefer to spend money on the consumption of liquor and enjoyment after getting the wages. Therefore, the rate of absenteeism is more during the first week every month. 6. Indebtness: The low level wages and unplanned expenditure of the workers force then to borrow heavily. The research studies indicate that workers borrow more than 10 times of their net pay. Consequently workers fail to repay the money. Then they try to escape the place in order to avoid the money lenders. This leads to absenteeism. 7. Maladjustment with job demands: The fast enhancing technology demand higher level skills from the workers fail to meet these demands due to their lower level education and/or absenteeism of training. 8. Unsound personnel policies: The improper and unrealistic personnel policies result in employee dissatisfaction. The dissatisfied employee in tune prefers to be away from the work. 9. Low level of wages: Workers Wages in some organizations are very poor and they are quite inadequate to meet the basic needs of the employees. Therefore, employers go for other employment during their busy seasons and earn more money. Further, some employees take up part time jobs. Thus the employees resort to moonlighting and absent themselves from the work.

1.4 Measures to control absenteeism:

Absenteeism cannot be eliminated altogether. So measures should be taken to minimise the rate of absenteeism such as:

1. Proper Hiring: It is necessary that people with rights skills and experience are selected. Every employee should as far as possible be assigned work according to capabilities, aptitude and interest. 2. Good working condition: Proper sanitation, drinking water, canteen, first aid, rest pauses and mechanization can help to reduce absenteeism by making work environment pleasant. 3. Housing and Transport facilities: Provision of housing accommodation, preferably neat the factory and transportation facility will ensure regular attendance of workers. 4. Safety programmes: Adequate safety measures help to minimise industrial accidents and reduce fear of injury among employees. As a result attendance becomes improved. 5. Incentives: Special bonus, cash prizes and preference in promotion to regular employees encourage workers to be regular in their attendance. 6. Effective supervision: Supervisors can considerably reduce absenteeism by earning the confidence and commitment of workers. 7. Disciplinary Action: Suitable action should be taken against chronic absentees. Punitive action may be in the form of publishing their names in company house magazines, fines, withholding pay increment, denial of promotion, suspension, dismissal, etc. 8. Regular leave provision: A provision should be made wherein every worker can avail a few days of leave during a year. Holidays with pay will enable a worker to attend to his private affairs. 9. Employee Counseling: Guidance and counseling help employees to eliminate bad habits like drinking and gambling. Habitual absentees can be persuaded to become regulate by impressing upon them the loss arising to them due to absenteeism. Education and training can be used to develop a sense of responsibility. 10. Proper Records: Detailed and update records of absenteeism should be maintained. Absenteeism above the predetermined level should be carefully analyzed age wise, sex wise, month wise and other bases.

1.5 Calculation of the rate of absenteeism

The Rate of Absenteeism can be calculated with the help of the following formula prescribed by the U.S. Department of labour. Absenteeism rate = Number of Man-days lost 100 Number of Man-days worked + Number of Man-days lost. Absenteeism rate can be calculated for different employees and for different time periods like days, months & years.

1.6 Statement of the problem:

The problem of absenteeism among the tea garden labourers is a major problem affecting the tea gardens of the state. To have an in-depth knowledge of this problem and thereby to suggest ways and means to reduce the problem, the present study, Absenteeism among the Tea Garden Labourers: a case study of the Mancotta Tea Garden has been taken up.

1.7 Scope of the study:

The scope of the present project work is limited to the 875 tea garden labourers of the Mancotta Tea Garden of Dibrugarh District, Assam.

1.8 Objective of the study:

The objectives of the present project work are to: 1. To find out the rate of absenteeism among the labourers of the Garden. 2. To study the reasons behind absenteeism of the labourers. 3. To study about the steps taken by the garden authority to reduce the problem of absenteeism in their garden 4. To study about the workers attitude towards absenteeism.

1.1 Hypothesis for the study:

The following hypothesis have been set in accordance with the objectives for the study. H1: The rate of absenteeism in the garden is very high.

H2: The major cause of absenteeism among the labourers of the garden is bad health. H3: A large number of the labourers are absent in their work because of overdrinking. H4: The labourers of the garden are not at all aware of the evil effects of absenteeism.

1.2

Rationale of the study:

Absenteeism problem has become a serious problem in almost all sectors of work. Absenteeism is seen more prominent in the labour oriented works than in managerial or white collar jobs. The present study is focused on labour absenteeism, which tries to find out the main reasons behind labourers remaining absent in work. A sound knowledge on the subject would be immensely helpful for the management because by knowing the reasons of labour absenteeism proper steps can be taken to control it. Moreover, this may also help the labourers in knowing and overcoming the evil effects of absenteeism.

1.3 Methodology :
The study is conducted among 120 (constituting 13.7 p.c.) tea garden labourers of the Mancotta Tea Garden situated five kilometers from the Dibrugarh town. The required information for the study have been collected through direct interviews with the management and labourers with the help of two carefully prepared interview schedules 5. Besides the primary data, some secondary data have been also collected from reports, official records, books, magazines, journals, newspapers and the internet. The collected data have been presented in the forms of simple tables, diagrams and analysed with the help of percentage. To estimate the rate of absenteeism, data relating to the daily attendance of labourers, for the period from 1st January 2009 to 31st December 2009 have been collected from the official records.

1.4 Topical organisation:

This project report is divided into three chapters. The first chapter is an introductory one. Here different aspects relating to absenteeism like types of absenteeism, causes of absenteeism, methods to control absenteeism, calculation of the rate of absenteeism and scope of the study, objective of the study, hypothesis of the study, rationale of the study and methodology have been discussed. In the second chapter analysis of data collected from the management and the labourers have been presented. The rates of absenteeism among the permanent as well as casual labourers have also been estimated in this chapter. In the third chapter summary of the information collected from the management, and the labourers, inferences on the Hypothesis, Conclusions and Suggestions have been presented.

________________________
1. Interview schedules are presented in annexure II and annexure III.

CHAPTER - II

FINDINGS OF THE STUDY

A. Analysis of data collected from the management:

The information collected from the garden management have been presented below. It is found that the management is fully aware of the problem of absenteeism in the garden. The management not only suffers quantitative loss in the form of loss /

damage of plucked leaves but also qualitative loss such as detoriation in the quality of the tea produced and also delays in production schedule. Moreover, the management has to suffer a monetary loss of about `.4000 per day due to labour absenteeism in the garden. The management also reported that the problem of absenteeism have decreased the output of the garden by about 20 p.c. which is ultimately affecting the quality of the tea produced by the garden. As the management is fully aware of this problem, they have taken necessary steps to reduce the rate of absenteeism. A labour that remains absent from work without prior information and permission from the management for a long period, a notice is served for his absence in the work which acts as a warning against him. A labourer could even be dismissed from work if he does not obey the notice. But this type of steps is not adopted by the management to avoid the unwanted disputes that would arise between the labourers and the management. The general practice adopted by the garden management is to suspend such a labour for three to four days from work and no wage is paid for those days. The management also reported that the labourers are paid their bonus during the festival season. The rate of bonus paid during the year 2010 is 20 p.c. out of which 15 p.c. has been paid during the Durga Puja season and the rest 5 p.c. is to be paid during the New Year. It has been also found in the study that the ration facilities are provided to the labourers at a subsidised rate. The ration is provided to both the permanent as well as the casual workers. The casual workers receive the ration only during their working season. Every worker is provided with three kilograms of rice and three kilograms of wheat fortnightly. Some other facilities provided by the garden authority are free quarter facility; clean drinking water facility, Canteen facility, Shelter for taking rest during work, Medical facilities, Lavatories, Umbrellas and Raincoats, and Blankets. The management reported that the problems of the labourers are looked into properly by the garden authority. If any grievance arise between the two parties i.e. the workers and the management, the problems are being discussed with the labour unions and the management and the problem is bought to an amicable solution.

Regarding the safety measures adopted by the authority, in case of any accidents caused in the factory, first aid and immediate treatment is provided and the victim is taken to the garden hospital. But no such preventive measures have been taken to cut down or to negotiate the risks of accidents. The management is not at all satisfied regarding the present absenteeism problem prevailing in the garden as the rate of absenteeism is very high for which the garden have to suffer huge losses. The management also stated that they have certain schemes for controlling the absenteeism problem in the garden in the near future. A notice will be sent to the workers remaining absent from work. If the labourer does not respond to the notice, a domestic enquiry will be set up by the management committee and an investigation will be made. If any worker is found guilty of being absent for false reasons, he can be dismissed from work. A detailed information on absenteeism have been collected from the official records for one whole year and presented in the following tables. The rate of absenteeism on monthly basis of the permanent tea garden labourers have been calculated on the basis of the data collected from the official records, Ganti Book i.e. the Attendance Register keeping the records of daily attendance of labourers in work, for the year 2009 starting from 1st January to 31st December and presented in TABLE 1. For determining the rate of absenteeism the following formula has been applied: Rate of Absenteeism = Number of man days lost 100 Man days worked + Man days lost

TABLE 1 Rate of absenteeism of the permanent labourers

Months Male Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Total 6492 6729 7016 6768 7050 7325 7868 7025 6768 7337 7075 7330 84783 Total strength Female 7339 7702 8041 7766 8100 8450 9076 8100 7752 8379 8025 8354 97084 Adol 46 48 50 48 50 52 56 50 48 57 75 78 658 Total 13877 14479 15107 14582 15200 15827 17000 15175 14568 15773 15175 15762 182525 Male 5525 2910 4673 5257 5194 5369 5381 5154 4669 5374 5319 5918 60473 Total present Female 6673 3233 6214 6457 5916 6330 6045 5997 5624 6162 6274 6994 71719 Adol 2 6 3 47 0 0 0 0 0 5 25 35 121 Total 11930 6149 10890 11761 11110 11699 11426 11151 10293 11541 11618 12947 132513 Male 1237 3819 2343 1511 1856 1956 2487 1871 2099 1963 1756 1412 24310 Total absent Female 666 4469 1827 1309 2184 2120 3031 2103 2128 2217 1751 1360 25165 Adol 44 42 47 1 50 52 56 50 50 52 50 43 537 Total 1947 8330 4217 2821 4090 4128 5574 4024 4277 4232 3557 2815 50012 Abs.Rate (%) 14.02 57.53 27.91 19.34 26.90 26.08 32.78 26.52 29.36 26.83 23.44 17.85 27.40

It has been found that the rate of absenteeism is the highest (57.53 p.c.) in the month of February and is the lowest (14.02 p.c.) in the month of January. The reason behind such a high rate of absenteeism in February is that majority of the workers generally avail their annual due leave of two weeks during that month. The rate of absenteeism in the other months of the year ranges between 17.85 p.c. to 32.78 p.c. and the annual rate of absenteeism is 27.40 p.c. which may be regarded as a high rate of absenteeism as compared with the normal rate of absenteeism which ranges from 7 p.c. to 15 p.c.

In Table-2, the rates of absenteeism among the casual labourers, who are mostly employed during the peak plucking season i.e. from the month of May till the month of October, have been calculated and presented in Table 21. It has been found that the rate of absenteeism is the highest (48.52 p.c.) in the month of September and is the lowest (27.60 p.c.) in the month of June. Whereas on the other months the rate is found to be in between the range of 31.76 p.c. to 46.55 p.c. The overall rate of absenteeism for this period of six months of the year is 42.50 p.c. So, it is found that the rate of absenteeism in the garden is very high. Hence the first hypothesis i.e. the rate of absenteeism in the garden is very high is accepted

TABLE 2 Rate of absenteeism of the casual labourers Total strength Months May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Total Male 1091 1330 1780 1700 1700 1753 9354 Female 1972 2820 3537 3275 3275 3340 18219 Adol 1749 1831 1900 1899 1900 1976 11255 Total 4812 5981 7217 6874 6875 7069 38828 Male 743 963 1308 1053 894 949 5910 Total present Female 1382 2337 2548 2192 1917 2157 11533 Adol 447 1030 1059 941 728 677 4882 Total 2572 4330 4915 4186 3539 3783 22325 Male 348 367 472 647 806 804 3444 Total absent Female 590 483 989 1083 1358 1183 6686 Adol 1302 801 841 958 1172 1299 6373 Total 2240 1651 2302 2688 3336 3286 16503 Abs. Rate (%) 46.55 27.60 31.76 39.10 48.52 46.48 42.50

B. Analysis of data collected from the labourer

The sample labourers numbering 120, have been classified according to their ages in the following table TABLE 3 Age wise distribution of the labourers

Age groups (in years) 15 24 25 34 35 44 45 54 55 64 65 74 75 and above

No. of samples 26 28 19 26 17 3 1

Percentage (%) 21.67 23.33 15.83 21.67 14.16 02.50 00.83

TOTAL

120

100

Table 3 reveals that 23 .33 p.c. of the labourers are within 25 34 years of age, followed by 21.66 p.c.of labourers in the age group of 15 24 years as well as 45 54 years. Only 4 (four) labourers above the age of 65 years have been found.

The diagrammatic representation of the above table is shown below in Fig.1

Fig. 1

TABLE 4 Distribution of respondents on the basis of their education

Education levels

No. of samples No. % 38.33 30.38 25.83 5.00 0.00 100

No. of male 18 23 22 04 0.00 67

Percentage (%) 39.13 62.16 70.97 66.67 00.00 55.83

No. of female 28 14 09 02 0.00 53

Percentage (%) 60.86 37.84 29.03 33.33 00.00 44.17

Illiterate Class I IV Class V VII Class VIII X Above class X TOTAL

46 37 31 06 0.00 120

The above table reveals that 38.33 p.c. of the samples studied are illiterate. 30.83 p.c. of the samples have been found to be educated till the primary level and about 26 p.c. are found educated from class V VII. Only 5 p.c. of the labourers are educated till the high school level. The illiteracy level among the female workers is seen very high (60.86 p.c.)

TABLE 5 Sex wise distribution of the labourers

No. of males 67

Percentage (%) 55.83

No. of females 53

Percentage (%) 44.17

Total 120

Percentage (%) 100

Table 5 reveals that 55.83 p.c. of the total samples under the study area are male and the rest 44.17 p.c. are females. Fig. 2 shows the diagrammatic representation of the sex-wise distribution of the labourers working in the garden. Fig. 2

TABLE 6 Distribution on the basis of marital status Married 91 Percentage (%) 75.83 Unmarried 29 Percentage (%) 24.17 Total 120 Percentage (%) 100

It has been seen in Table 6 that about three-fourth of the total sample are married and the rest 24.17 p.c. are unmarried. Fig. 3 shows the diagrammatic representation of the distribution of the labourers on the basis of their marital status.

Fig. 3

In the Table below, the respondents of the present project work have been classified on the basis of their number of children. In the following table and it has been found that 27.5 p.c. sample labourers have no children. 25 p.c. of the samples are

found to be in the small family group i.e. having 1 2 children. 35 p.c. samples were found to have 3 4 children. However 12.5 p.c. in the study were found to have more than 4 children and could be termed as large family. The total number of children of respondents figured 282 out of which 52.48 p.c. are boys and 47.52 p.c. girls.

TABLE 7 Distribution on the basis of number of children of the respondents

No. of children 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 TOTAL

No. of samples No. 33 7 23 20 22 10 4 1 120 % 27.5 5.83 19.17 16.67 18.33 8.33 3.33 0.83 100

Total no. of children 0 7 46 60 88 50 24 7 282

No. of boys No. 0 5 27 35 46 20 12 3 148 71.43 58.69 58.33 52.27 40.00 50.00 42.86 52.48 % No. 0 2 19 25 43 30 12 4 134

No. of girls %

28.57 41.31 41.67 47.73 60.00 50.00 57.14 47.52

TABLE 8 Length of service in the garden

Length of service ( in years) 0 1 year 1 2 years 2 5 years 5 10 years Above 10 years TOTAL

No. of labourers 10 12 17 18 63 120

Percentage (%) 8.33 10.00 14.17 15.00 52.50 100

In the table, the lengths of service of the labourers, in numbers of years are presented and it is seen that above 50 p.c. of the labourers have been working in the garden / factory for above ten years. About 29 p.c. of the samples are found whose length of service ranges between 2 10 years. Only 18 p.c. labourers are between 0 2 years of length

The diagrammatic representation of the length of service the labourers are working in the garden is shown in Fig. 4

Fig. 4

TABLE 9 Monthly wages Monthly wages (in `.) Less than 1000 1001 2000 2001 3000 3001 4000 4001 and above TOTAL No. of samples 0 115 0 05 0 120 100 4.17 95.83 Percentage (%)

It has been found that in the tea gardens labourers are generally paid wages forth nightly basis. In the present study, in respect of only 5 labourers wages are found to paid on a monthly basis. However for convenience, the salaries of all the labourers covered under the present project work have been converted into monthly basis and relevant information has been presented in the Table 9. It is observed from the Table that the salaries of most (95.83 p.c.) of the labourers are within `. 1001 2000 per month. The diagrammatic representation of the monthly wages of the labourers (in `) is shown in Fig. 5 Fig. 5

TABLE 10

Weekly presence in work No. of days present Everyday 5 6 days a week 3 4 days a week Less than 3 days a week TOTAL No. of labourers 61 38 20 1 120 Percentage (%) 50.83 31.67 16.67 0.83 100

In respect of the information collected regarding the number of days, a worker under the study goes to work in a week; it is revealed (Table 10) that about half of the total workers go to work every day. Nearly 17% of the workers have stated that they go to work only for 3 4 days a week. TABLE 11 Health condition of the labourers Information regarding the health condition of the workers of the present universe has been collected from them. A labourer who has stated that working in the garden/ factory has not affected his health adversely has been regarded as having a good health condition.

Health conditions Good Starting to affect Detoriated to some extend Severe TOTAL

No. of labourers 64 13 26 17 120

Percentage 53.33 10.83 21.67 14.17 100

It is observed that 53.33 p.c. of the workers are in good health condition. 21.67 p.c. of the labourers have stated that their health condition detoriated after

working in the garden and factory. About 14 p.c. informed to have severe health conditions and only 10.83 p.c. said that their jobs are starting to affect their health. The diagrammatic representation of the health conditions of the labourers are working in the garden is shown in Fig. 6 Fig. 6

TABLE 12(A) Absence in work due to health problems: No. of workers Unable to go to work on health ground No. of workers Male 20 Absent (60.61) 47 Present Total (54.02) 67 (55.83) Female 13 (39.39) 40 (45.98) 53 (44.17) Total 33 (27.5) 87 (72.5) 120 (100)

*figures in the bracket represent percentage

Table 12(A) shows the number of labourers remaining absent from work due to their health problems. It is found in the study that 27.5 p.c. of the labourers remain absent from work due to their health problems whereas 72.5 p.c. informed to remain present in work. It has been found that one of the major causes of absenteeism of the labourers is bad health. Hence, the second hypothesis i.e. the major cause of absenteeism among the labourers of the garden is bad health is accepted.

Fig. 7 shows the diagrammatic representation of the above table.

Fig. 7

TABLE 12(B) Absence in work due to health problems: No. of days

No. of days remaining absent in a week Last one week ( in days) 0 1 2 3 >3 total 0 Last one month(:in days) 12 24 46 >6 total

98 (81.67)

6 (5)

12 (10)

1 (.83)

3 (2.5)

120 (100)

78 (65)

11 (9.17)

13 (10.83)

7 (5.83)

11 (9.17)

120 (100)

*figures in the brackets represent percentage

Table 12(B) shows the distribution of the number of days remaining absent by the labourers during last one week and last one month. It is found that during the last week, 81.67p.c. of the labourers are present for work whereas only 10 p.c. of them remained absent for two days. Only 5 p.c. of the labourers were absent for a single day. On the other hand 65 p.c. of the labourers, studied for the current project were present in the work during the last month. Above 10 p.c. were found to be absent for about 2 4 days in that month.15 p.c. of them were absent for more than four days a month. It has been found that there are 78 labourers who have remained absent in work due to health problems of their family members. They are classified on the basis of the reason / reasons for not being able to go to work in the TABLE-13(A) Table 13(A) Absence in work due to health problems of family concern Unable to go to work: Sample No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Reasons for not being able to go to work Parents bad health Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Husbands / wifes bad health Childrens bad health Y
No. of reasons stated by the samples for not being able to go to work.

2 1 1 1 1 1 2 1

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

Y Y

1 2 1

Y Y Y

2 2 1 2

1 1 1

2 1

1 1 1 1 1

1 1

Y Y

2 1 1

Y Y

1 1 1 1

2 1

38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

Y Y

1 1 1

2 1

Y Y

1 2 1 1 1 1 1

1 1 1 1 1 1

2 1

Y Y

1 2 2 1 1 1

2 1

67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 TOTAL 43 (55.13) Y Y 19 (24.36) Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

1 1 2 1 2 2 2 1

2 1 1 1

36 (46.16)

98

* Figures in the brackets signify percentage. Y represents Yes. It is revealed from the table [Table 13(A)] that the most important reason for the workers to remain absent in work is the bad health of their parents which constitutes above 55 p.c. which is followed by the health problem of their children for which about 46 p.c. of the labourers remain absent in their work. Health of the spouse (husband / wife) is the third important factor responsible of the workers causing absenteeism. Fig. 8 shows the diagrammatic representation of the Table 13(A) which shows the reasons of absence of the labourers in work due to different reasons. Fig. 8

TABLE 13(B) Days of Absence in work due do health problems of family concern

Causes Absent Last- Week (no. of days) No. of labourers 110 (91.67 ) 0

Parents health problems

Health problems of husband / wife

Health problem of children

1 6 (5)

2 3 (2.5)

>2 1 (.83)

Total 120 (100)

0 116 (96.66)

1 2 (1.67)

2 2 (1.67)

>2 0

Total 120 (100)

0 110 (91.67)

1 4 (3.33)

2 4 (3.33)

>2 2 (1.67)

Total 120 (100)

Absent Last-Month (no. of days) No. of labourers

12 77 (64.17 ) 21 (17.5 )

24 16 (13.33 )

>4 6 (5)

Total 120 (100)

0 100 (83.33)

12 7 (5.83)

24 8 (6.67)

>4 5 (4.17)

Total 120 (100)

0 79 (65.83)

12 13 (10.83)

24 11 (9.17)

>4 17 (14.17)

Total 120 (100)

*figures in the brackets signify percentage

The distribution of the labourers absent from work in the number of days during the last week and last month is shown in the table for the three reasons of absence mentioned in the study. It is found that 91.67 p.c. of the labourers have not missed their work the previous week due to their parents bad health, whereas 8 p.c. were found absent. On the other hand 64 p.c. of the samples were present during the last month of work. 17.5 p.c. were found absent for a day or two during the previous month and about 18 p.c. were absent for two days or more. Secondly, during the last week only about 3.5 p.c. of the samples were absent from work due to the health problems of their spouses and that too for not more than two days whereas above 95 p.c. of them were present on work for that ground. Even during the last month a very high percentage(83.33) were found to be present for work on the mentioned ground. About 6 p.c. were found absent for a day or two whereas nearly 11 p.c. were absent for about two days and more. Thirdly, above 90 p.c. of the workers were seen present in work during last week and only about 8.33 p.c. labourers were absent on their childrens health ground. Whereas during the last month 10.83 p.c. were found absent for a day or two; about 9 p.c. were absent for two to four days and about 14 p.c. were absent for more than four days. Above 65 p.c. of the labourers were present on the stated ground. TABLE 14 Provision of proper medical facilities by the management Yes No Total

No. of workers 15 105 120

Percentage 12.5 87.5 100

Provision of adequate medical facility

Table 14 shows the provision of proper medical facilities provided by the management and it has been found in the study that above 85 p.c. of the labourers do not receive proper medical facilities. Only 12.5 p.c. of the samples studied reported to have received proper medical facility from the garden authority.

TABLE 15 Going to work outside the garden Often Sometimes No TOTAL

No. of labourers 10 43 67 120

Percentage 8.33 35.83 55.83 100

Working outside the garden

It has been revealed in the table that above 55 p.c. of the labourers working in the garden / factory are not engaged in any type of work outside the garden. While about 44 p.c. of the labourers have stated that they go out for work except working in the garden and out of which 8 p.c. are found going for other side jobs outside the

garden very often. Table 16 shows that a significant proportion (46.67 p.c.) of the workers have to borrow loans when they remain absent from their work. While 44.17 p.c. of the workers somehow manage alternative income sources in those days, whereas only 9.17 p.c. of the workers have to remain without any income.

TABLE 16 Ways of managing livelihood during absence

Ways of managing livelihood during absence from work Sample No. Borrowing Loans 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Alternative source of income No Income TOTAL 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44

Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

Y Y Y

1 1 1 1 1

1 1 1

Y Y

1 1 1

1 1

1 1

1 1 1

1 1 1

Y Y Y

1 1 1 1

Y Y

1 1 1

74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102

Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 TOTAL

Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y 56 (46.67) 53 (44.17) 11 (9.17)

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 120 (100)

* Figures in the brackets signify percentage Y represents Yes. Fig. 9 shows the diagrammatic representation of the Table 16 which shows the different ways of managing livelihood during absence from work.

Fig. 9

TABLE 17 Facilities provided Free ration Yes 120 No 0 Total 120 Firewood Yes 90 No 30 Total 120 Umbrellas and raincoat Yes 90 No 30 Total 120 Blankets Yes 90 No 30 Total 120

Table 17 throws a light on the facilities provided by the management to its labourers. It is seen that free ration is provided to all the labourers but at subsidised rates. Whereas firewood, umbrella and raincoat for the rainy season and blankets for the winter season are only provided to the permanent labourers.

TABLE 18 Absence after social ceremonies and festivals

No. of days absent after social ceremonies and festivals 0 12 23 34 >4 TOTAL

No. of labourers

Percentage

49 39 27 4 1 120

40.83 32.5 22.5 3.33 0.83 100

Table 18 shows the number of days the labourers remain absent for work after some soial ceremonies or festivals and it has been found that about 40 p.c. of the labourers do not remain absent in work after any social ceremonies and events. 32.5 p.c. reported to remain absent for a day or two after any social event, but about 27 p.c. of the labourers are found to remain absent for more than two to three days

Fig. 10 shows the diagrammatic representation of the Table 18 which shows the absence of the labourers from work days after social ceremonies and events, in number of days.

Fig. 10

Considerable part of wage spent on alcohol Necessity of Alcohol consumption Yes

103 (85.83 )

Remaining absent due to over drinking

Prepared at home Tota l

120 (100)

Purchased from outside Tota l

120 (100)

No
17 (14.17 )

Ye s
96 (80 )

No
24 (20 )

Yes
70

No
50

Tota l
120 (100)

Yes
58 (48.33 )

No
62 (51.67 )

Tota l
120 (100)

Yes
43 (35.83 )

No
77 (64.17 )

Tota l
120 (100)

(58.3 ( (41.6 3) 6)

TABLE 19 Different aspects of alcohol consumption * figures in the brackets signify percentage

Table 19 reflects light to the different aspects of alcohol consumption. It is found that 85.83 p.c. of the samples studied think the consumption of alcohol necessary for their living. It has also been found that 80 p.c. of the families prepare alcohol at their homes. On the other hand about 58 p.c. of the labourers reported that they use to purchase alcohol from outside for consumption.

It has been found in the study that above 45 p.c. of the labourers spend a considerable amount of their wage in alcohol consumption. It is also reported by the samples that about 36 p.c. of the labourers have to remain absent in their work the preceding day due to over drinking. It has been found that one of the causes of absenteeism among the labourers is alcoholism. Hence, the third hypothesis i.e. a large number of the labourers are absent in their work because of overdrinking is accepted. Fig. 11 shows the diagrammatic representation of the Table 19 which shows the different aspects of alcohol consumption.. Fig. 11

TABLE 20 Workers awareness of the evil effects of absenteeism Awareness among the workers Wage loss Sample No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Decrease production Affect morale Affects quality No. of evil effects of absenteeism, the sample is aware of 3 3 2 Y 2 2 2 2 2 1 2 1 2

Y Y Y

Y Y

13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42

Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

2 3 3 2 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 2 2 4 3 3 3 4 2 2 1

Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

2 3 3 2 2 4

43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70

Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

2 1 1 2 2 1

2 2 3

Y Y

4 3 2 2

3 1

Y Y Y Y

2 2 3 4 2 2 1

2 1

Y Y

2 4 2 2

71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99

Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

Y Y Y Y

2 3 2 2 1 1

2 2 Y 2 2 1 1

Y Y

Y Y

3 4 2 2 2

Y Y

3 3 2

3 2 1

3 1

Y Y Y Y Y

2 2 2 4

100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 TOTAL

Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y 120 (100%)

Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

2 3 2 2 2 3 1 Y Y 2 2 3 Y 4 3 Y Y 2 2 3 2 1

Y Y Y

Y Y Y

Y Y

Y Y Y Y

3 2 2 2 268

46 (38.33%)

36 (30%)

66 (55%)

*Figures in the brackets signify percentage. Y represents Yes. Table 20 highlights that cent percent of the workers interviewed for the study are aware of their wage loss during the period of absence from work. Whereas 55 p.c. have stated that they are aware of the fact that high rate of absenteeism can affect the quality of the produce of the garden and only about 38 p.c. have stated that remaining absent also decreases the production of the garden. It is also found in the study that they are least concerned about the effect of absenteeism on the morale in their works.

It has been found that the labourers are well aware of the evil effects of absenteeism. Hence, the fourth hypothesis i.e. the labourers of the garden are not at all aware of the evil effects of absenteeism is rejected. In Fig. 12 the diagrammatic representation of the Table 20 is shown where the awareness among the workers on the evil effects of absenteeism are highlighted.

Fig. 12

TABLE 21 Absence for no reason Absent for no reason Yes No TOTAL No. 37 83 120 No. of workers Percentage 30.83 69.17 100

It is seen in the table that nearly 31 p.c. of the labourers use to remain absent for work for no reason whereas about 69 p.c. are present for work.

CHAPTER - III

SUMMARY, C O N C L U S I ON AN D S U G G E S T I ON S

3.1 Summary of the information collected from the Management

The present project work on the problem of absenteeism among the tea garden labourers is based on the information collected through a field study conducted at the Mancotta Tea Garden which is located about five kilometers from the Dibrugarh town. The garden management has been interviewed for collecting the relevant information of the study. Moreover, a total number of 120 labourers (13.7 p.c. of the total 875 labourers), have been interviewed for the purpose, out of which 90 are permanent labourers constituting 15 p.c. of the total (600) permanent labourers and 30 are casual labourers constituting 10.91 p.c. of the total (275) casual labourers.

A summary on the information collected from the management are as follows: i. The total area of the garden is 410.10 hectare of which 233.08 hectare of the area is used as the plantation area. ii. The total number of employees (office staff as well as labourers) in the garden is 902 out of which 27 are office staff. The rest 875 are labourers of which 600 are permanent labourers and 275 are casual labourers. iii. The management is fully aware of the problem of absenteeism.
iv. The management has to suffer a loss of about ` 4000 per day due to the

absenteeism problem. v. Necessary steps are being taken by the authority to reduce the problem. A notice is being served to the labourer remaining absent from work without the prior information of the management which acts as a warning to him for his absence. He may also be suspended from work for three to four days. vi. The annual bonus of 20 p.c. has been paid to the labourers during the festival season. vii. Ration is provided to the labourers at a subsidised rate. Moreover other facilities are also provided such as: Free quarter facilities. Clean drinking water. Canteen facility. Shelter for taking rest during work. Medical facilities. Lavatories. Umbrellas and Raincoats. Blankets etc. i. The problems which arise between the labourers and management of the garden are looked into by the management and the grievances are brought to an amicable solution through discussion between the management and the labour unions. ii. In case of any accidents in the garden or factory, immediate first aid is provided by the authority. There is also the facility of the Garden Hospital. iii. The management is not at all satisfied with the high rate of absenteeism among the labourers in the garden.

iv. The management of the garden has chalked out some measures for controlling the absenteeism problem like serving notice to the absent workers, conducting a domestic enquiry by the management committee and dismissal from work in the case of finding guilty of being absent for false reasons. v. The rate of absenteeism among the permanent labourers is the highest (about 58 p.c.) during the month of February and lowest ( about 14 p.c) in the month of January. vi. The annual rate of absenteeism among the permanent labourers is found to be 27.48 p.c. vii. The rate of absenteeism among the casual labourers is the highest (about 49 p.c.) during the month of September and lowest (about 28 p.c.) in the month of June. viii.The annual rate of absenteeism among the casual labourers is found to be 42.50 p.c.

3.2 Summary of information collected from the Labourers

i. The highest proportion (about 23 p.c.) of the labourers working in the Mancotta Tea Garden is within the age group of 25 34 years. ii. It is found that majority (around 38p.c.) of the employees are illiterate, however the rate of illiteracy is very prominent (60.86 p.c.) among the female workers. A majority (about71 p.c.) of the male workers are found to be educated from class V VII. iii. The sex-wise distribution of the labourers shows that more than half (about 56 p.c.) of the workers of the present study are male. iv. Regarding marital status it has been found that more than three-fourth (about 76 p.c.) of the workers are married. v. Distribution of the number of children of the workers shows that about 28 p.c. of the labourers of the present study have no children, 25 p.c. of the labourers have 1 2 children, 35 p.c. of the labourers have 3 4 children and about 13 p.c. have more than 4 children. The proportion of boys and girls are 52.48 p.c. and 47.52 p.c. respectively. vi. It has been found in the study that 52.50 p.c. of the labourers have a service length of more than 10 years in the garden.

vii. It is found that the large majority (96 p.c.) of the respondents receive a

monthly wage between the wage-group of ` 1001 2000. viii.It has been found in the study that more than half (51 p.c.) of the labourers remain present in work every day in a week. ix. Regarding the health condition of the labourers and is found that a majority (53 p.c.) of the labourers do possess a good health. x. It is found that above one fourth (28 p.c.) of the labourers taken for the study remains absent from work due to their health problems. xi. It is found that about 18 p.c. of the labourers were found absent in work due to their health problems during the week just preceding the day of interview and 35 p.c. of the labourers have remained absent in their work due to the above mentioned reason during the month just preceding the day of interview. xii. The study shows the reasons for the absence in work for the labourers due to the heath reason of their family concern and it is found that a majority (55 p.c.) of the employees remain absent in work due to the ill health of their parents.
xiii.The bad health of their old parents as well as their childrens is found

as the most important reason as 8 p.c. of the workers have remained absent, ranging from 1 day to 2 or more, from their work during the week just preceding the day of interview. About 35 p.c. of the labourers are found absent from work for the same reasons mentioned above for the month just preceding the day of interview. Whereas only 4 p.c. of the labourers were found absent during the week as mentioned above for their spouses health and 20 p.c. were found absent during the whole month. xiv.Regarding the provision of medical facilities by the garden authority a very large number (about 88 p.c.) of the labourers stated that the medical facilities are not adequate. xv. It is surprising to find that 44 p.c. of the labourers go outside the garden for doing various types of works though they are employed in the garden as permanent or casual labourers.
xvi.About 47 p.c. of the labourers resort to borrowing loans and above 44

p.c. adopt some alternative sources of income like helper to the

carpenter / plumber / mason, construction workers, daily wage labourer for managing their livelihood during absence from work. xvii.The facilities provided by the garden authority such as free ration at a subsidised rate are provided to cent percent of the labourers working in the garden. The other facilities such as firewood, umbrellas and raincoats and blankets etc are provided to the permanent labourers only. xviii.It is found that majority (59 p.c.) of the labourers remain absent from work after the socio cultural festivals and ceremonies for one, two and even more days. xix.Regarding the different aspects of alcohol consumption it is found that a vast majority (86 p.c.) of the labourers think alcohol consumption is necessary. It is also found that 80 p.c. of the families prepare alcohol in their homes. A major portion of the labourers (58 p.c.) are found to purchase alcohol from outside sources whether it is prepared in their homes or not. It is also found that nearly half (48 p.c.) of the labourers spend a considerable part of their income on alcohol. However, 36 p.c. of the labourers have stated that they remain absent in work due to over drinking.
xx. It has been also found that the workers are aware on the evil effects of

absenteeism and cent percent of the labourers are conscious about their wage loss due to absenteeism. More than half (55 p.c.) of the labourers are aware about the declination in the quality of the product due to absenteeism. xxi.It is startling to find that nearly 31 p.c. of the labourers use to remain absent from work for no reason. 3.3 INFERENCES ON THE HYPOTHESIS: H1: The hypothesis that the rate of absenteeism in the garden is very highis accepted. H2: The hypothesis that The major cause of absenteeism among the labourers of the garden is bad health is accepted. H3: The hypothesis that A large number of the labourers are absent in their work because of overdrinking is accepted.

H4: The hypothesis that The labourers of the garden are not at all aware of the evil effects of absenteeism is rejected.

3.4 CONCLUSION:

A. Based on the above findings the following conclusions have been made on
the information collected from the management: i. The Mancotta Tea garden has a total area of 410.10 hectare out of which 233.08 hectare is used as plantation area which employees 902 workers of which 27 are office staffs and the rest 875 are the labourers.
ii.

The management of the garden is fully aware of the problem of absenteeism and the average monetary loss per day due to this problem is `.4000.

iii. iv.
v.

The management has taken necessary steps to reduce the problem of absenteeism. 20 p.c. bonus for the financial year 2010-11 has been paid to the labourers. The working conditions of the labourers are satisfactory. But the authority is not being able to provide one of the basic requirements of modern life i.e. the service of electricity, to the labour quarters for the last five years as the garden authority has not been able to pay the dues to the Electricity Department.

vi.

Any dispute arising between the management and the trade unions is brought to an amicable settlement through discussions between the management and the labour unions.

vii. viii.

In case of accidents in the garden or factory during work, proper first aid and medical treatment is provided by the authority. The rate of annual absenteeism among the labourers in the garden is very high. The management is not at all satisfied with this vexing problem and have chalked out some measures like serving Notice to the absent workers and also by setting up a domestic enquiry committee by the management and dismissal of the worker if found guilty of remaining absent for false reason. But such steps have not yet been adopted.

B. The following conclusions have been made on the basis of information collected from the labourers: i. ii. High proportion (23 p.c.) of the labourers working in the garden is young, within the age group of 25 34 years. A very high of illiteracy still prevails among the tea garden labourers which are more prominent among the female labourers. The overall level of education among the tea garden labourers is also found to be very low. iii. iv. v. vi.
vii.

More than half of the labourers in the study are male. About three-fourth of the labourers of the study are married. About half of the labourers under the present study have three or more than three children. More than half of the labourers have been working in the garden for more than 10 years. The monthly wage of 96 p.c. of the workers is within ` 1001 2000. About 53 p.c. of the labourers are in good health but 28 p.c. of the labourers remain absent in work for their bad health. Parents and childrens health problem are the two most important contributing factors of labourers absenteeism. Nearly 90 p.c. of the labourers do not receive adequate medical facility provided by the garden authority. About 44 p.c. of the labourers employee themselves in works outside the garden though being employed in the garden, as helper to the carpenter/ plumber/ mason, daily wage labourer etc, and about 47 p.c. of them use to borrow loans for maintaining their living during absence.

viii. ix. x.
xi.

xii. xiii. xiv.

The labourers are not seen fully satisfied with the facilities provided by the garden. Nearly 60 p.c. of the labourers remain absent from work for a day or two and even more after the socio-cultural ceremonies and festivals. About 36 p.c. of the labourers remain absent in the work due to alcoholism.

xv.

The labourers are fully aware of their wage loss but are least concerned about the decrease in production and detoriation of the quality of product due to absenteeism.

xvi.

31 p.c. of the labourers remain absent in work for no reason.

3.5 SUGGESTIONS: Based on the following conclusions, a few suggestions are being forwarded below:
1.

The garden management should take adequate steps to increase the literacy rate among the labourers of the garden so that they can understand the evil effects of absenteeism properly.

2.

The management should provide a satisfactory level of wage and allowance based on the financial position of the garden for improving the economic conditions of the labourers working in the garden.

3.

The standard of medical facilities in the garden should be improved and regular health check-ups of the family members of the labourers should be initiated.

4. 5.

Awareness should be created among the labourers regarding the evil effects of absenteeism by the management and the labour union. At present, the workers in the garden do not have the right in any decision making process of the management. So, steps should be initiated to introduce participatory management system in the garden management which will enable them to understand the present market situation and that in turn will make them aware of the evil effects of absenteeism on the overall economic condition of the garden. This realization will go a long way in motivating them to reduce the rate of absenteeism.

ANNEXURE I

BIBLIOGRAPHY Books referred:

1. Bahgoliwal, Dr. T.N., Personnel Management and Industrial Relations. Sahitya Bhawan Publications, Agra. Revised edition, 1996. 2. Chhabra, T.N., Human Resource Management, Dhanpat Rai & Co. (P) Ltd. New Delhi. Fifth Edition. 3. Gupta, Shashi. K & Joshi, Rosy, Human Resource Management. Kalyani Publisher, New Delhi. Fourth and enlarged edition, 2007. 4. Mamoria , Dr. C.B.; Mamoria, Dr. Satish; Gankar, S.V.; Dynamics of Industrial Relations. Himalayan Publication House Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai. Fifth publication, 2005. 5. Rao, V.S.P., Human Resource Management; excel books, New Delhi, second edition, 2005.

6. Saharia, Dr. Umesh Chandra. Tea labourers of Assam. Kaustabh Publications. Dibrugarh. First publication, 2005. 7. Sexena, R.C. & Saxena, S.R., Labour problems and social welfare. Prakash Kendra Publication. Lucknow, Revised edition, 1992. 8. Tripathi, Prof. P.C., Personnel Management and Industrial Relations. Sultan Chand & Sons, New Delhi. Nineth edition, 1993.

Websites referred:
9. www.articlesbase.com/human-resources-articles/absenteeism-among-workers-

1440722.html
10. www.wiki.answers.com/Q/How_can_high_absenteeism_of_employees_affect

_an_organisation
11. http://nepjo/.info/index.php/NELTA/article/viewPDFIntertitial/3421/2967 12. http://www.northeastindiatravel.com/assam/tea-gardens.html 13. http://www.ecoindia.com/tea-gardens/assam1.html 14. http://www.manipuresearchforom.org/TeaGardenCommunity.html 15. http://www.scribd.com/doc/36666256/33696669-Hr-Project-Absenteeism 16. http://www.nenews.com/ANENovember16-30,06/specialreport.html

ANNEXURE - II Interview Schedule of the Management

1. Name of the garden: 2. Name of the respondent: 3. Designation: 4. Year of establishment of the garden: 5. a) Total area of the garden: b) Plantation area of the garden: c) No. of employees in the garden: i. Total employees (including the office staff): Permanent: _______ Casual: _______ Total: _______

ii. Total labourers: Permanent: ________ Executive: ________ Total: _________

6. Are you aware of the absenteeism problem in your garden?

Yes / no

7.

What are the average / approximate loss in your garden caused by absenteeism? i) ii) iii) iv) Loss of the plucked leaves Delay in production schedule Decline in the quality of work Per day / per month average loss in Rs._____________

1. What is the amount of tea leaves to be plucked by a labourer on an average day? Please state_______________

2. How does absenteeism have affected your business? i) ii) iii) iv) Has decreased the output. Has adversely affected the quality of the product Has increased the cost Has adversely affected the overall business Yes / no

1. Have you taken any steps to reduce absenteeism?

2. a) If yes, what are the steps taken, please explain

b) If no, please state the reasons

3. a) Is free ration provided to the workers by the garden management? Yes / no b) Is it provided to the i) Permanent workers

ii) Temporary workers iii) Both 4. Is ration provided freely or a price is deducted from the wages of the labourers? i) ii) 1. a) Is bonus paid to the labourers during the festival seasons? b) What was the rate of bonus and when it was paid last? ____________________ Yes / no Provided free Provided at a subsidized rate

2. Are the following provisions provided by the garden management when the workers are at work: 1. 2. 3 3 5 6 7 8 9 10 Free Quarter facility Clean drinking water Electricity Canteen facility Recreation facility Shelter for taking rest during work Medical facilities Lavatories Umbrellas and raincoat Blanket

3. Are the problems of the labourers properly looked into by the management? Yes / no

4. How do you settle the grievances of the labours?

5. Are there any safety measures adopted by the management to prevent or cut down the risk of accidents that may arise. Please state.

6. What are your views regarding the present absenteeism policy of the Mancotta Tea Estate. i) ii) iii) iv) Good Fair Not up to the mark Bad

1. Do you have any scheme for controlling the problem of absenteeism in the

near future? 2. If yes, please explain the measures to be taken:

Yes/ No

ANNEXURE III Interview Schedule of the Labourers:

1. Name: 2. a) Age: b) Education: Illiterate / Class I IV / Class V VII / Class VIII X / Above X
1. Sex: 2. Marital status: 3. Do you have children?

Male / Female Married/ Unmarried Yes / No Total

4.

If yes, Boys Girls

5. Nature of the job:

6. Job status:

Permanent/ Temporary

7. For how many years have you been working as: Length of service 0 1 yr 1 2 yrs 2 5 yrs No. of years

5 10 yrs Above 10 yrs

8. On what basis is your wage paid: i) ii) iii) iv) Daily Weekly Fortnightly Monthly

1. Wage (in `):

i) ii) iii) iv)

Less than 1000 1001 2000 2001 3000 3001 and above. Yes / No Yes / No Yes/ No Yes / No Yes / No. Yes / No. Yes / No.

1. Is the wage you earn satisfying? 2. Do you think your wage rates should be increased? 3. Do you get desired bonus during the festival season? 4. Have you got the demanded bonus this season? 5. Do you get enough holidays in a month? 6. Do you desire for more holidays in a month? 7. Do you go to work every day?

8. If yes, i) ii) iii) iv) Everyday 5 6 days a week 3 4 days a week Less than 3 days a week Yes / No.

1. Do you take a break from work during the working days?

2. Have you taken a break from work this week? i) ii) iii) iv) No 1 day 2 days More than 2 days

1. Does regular working in the factory/garden affect your health?

Yes / No.

2.

If yes, is the limit of affect i) ii) iii) Severe To some extend Starting to affect Yes / No.

1. Is this a reason you are being unable to come to work regularly.

2. For how many days have you been absent on this ground. Last one week 1 day 2 days 3 days More than 3 days Last one month 1 2 days 2 4 days 4 6 days More than 6 days

3. Do you have your old parents staying with you? 4. Is the health condition of your parents good?

Yes / No. Yes / No.

5. Is there any other person in the family besides you to look after your parents

during illness? Yes / No.

6. Do you need to be absent from work for this reason?

Yes / No.

7. For how many days do you have to be absent due to your parents bad health? Last one week None 1 day 2 days More than 2 days Last one month None 1 2 days 2 4 days More than 4 days

8. Is the health condition of your husband / wife good?

Yes / No. Yes / No.

9. Is there anyone except you who have to look after him / her during illness? 10. Do you have to remain absent from work for this reason?

Yes / No.

11. For how many days do you have to be absent on this ground?

Last one week None 1 day 2 days More than 2 days

Last one month None 1 2 days 2 4 days More than 4 days

12. Is the health condition of your child always good?

Yes / No. Yes / No.

13. Is there any other person except you in your house to look after your child?
14. Do you have to remain absent for this purpose. 15. For how many days do you have to be absent on this ground?

Yes / No.

Last one week None 1 day 2 days More than 2 days

Last one month None 1 2 days 2 4 days More than 4 days

16. Do you get the adequate treatment that should be provided by the garden

authority? alternative source of income? i) ii) iii) Yes, often Sometimes No

Yes/ No.

17. Doing the same type of job everyday is a boring task. Do you work for any

1. Is there any wage earner except you in your family? 2. Do your husband / wife work in this garden? 3. Is it possible for you to get wage when you remain absent?

Yes / No. Yes / No. Yes / No.

4. Is it not difficult to maintain a living if you remain absent from work? Yes / No 5. If yes, how do you manage youre living then? i) Borrow loans

ii) iii)

Have alternative source of income No income. Yes / No. Yes / No. Yes / No. Yes / No. Yes / No. Yes / No. Yes / No. Yes / No. Yes / No.

1. Is free ration provided to you by the garden authority? 2. Is a part of the cost of ration deducted from your wage? 3. Are firewood provided to you from the garden authority? 4.

Are you provided with umbrellas and raincoats during the rainy season by the garden authority? authority?

5. Are you provided with blankets during the winter season by the garden 6. Do you sometimes have to work overtime? 7. Doesnt overtime work make you tired and fatigue. 8. Do you go for social festivals and ceremonies? 9. Do you feel to work during the festival season? 11. How many days after the festival do you feel like going to work.

10. Even immediately after the festivals do you feel like going for work. Yes / No. i) ii) iii) iv) 1 2 days 2 3 days 3 4 days More than 4 days Yes / No. Yes / No. Yes / No. Yes / No. Yes / No. Yes / No.

1. As the climate in the garden region is cool and damp, is consuming of alcohol

necessary in such conditions?

2. Is the wine you consume prepared in your homes? 3. Do you have to buy it from other places? 4. Isnt a good part of your wage is spent on it? 5. Do you have to remain absent from work due to over drinking. 6. Are you aware that by remaining absent you lose your wage?

7. Do you know that staying absent from work for a long time can decrease the

production of the garden? workers present? garden.

10. Lastly, do you sometimes remain absent from work for no reason.

Yes / No. Yes / No. Yes / No. Yes / No.

8. Do you realize that being absent from work affects the morale of the other 9. Do you think that being absent from work affects the quality of work in the