Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
UNIT I
Indian Sugar Mills Association the Bombsy Mill Owners Association, and the
Indian Paper Mills Association, The general labour unions,The friendly
societies and Combination of intellectual labour like (the All-India Teachers
Association; the All-India Bank Employees Association; the All-India Medical
Doctors Association; the Railway mens Federation; National Federation of
Posts and Telegraphs Workers; the All-India Mine Workers Federation etc.)
Lab our unions are relatively permanent association of workers and are not
temporary or casual: They persist throughout the years and conceive of their
purpose as on which is not merely immediate but continues.
It is economically oriented
It is an instrument of defense.
It implies class distinction
It is an outcome of an individualistic society.
The functions of modern trade unions are wide and more comprehensive
than those of their forerunners. Generally speaking, these functions have been
termed as (i) militant of protection functions, and (ii) fraternal, ministrant of
positive functions. The former functions aim at securing better conditions of work
and employment for members through militant activities such as strikes, gherao,
etc. if there is failure of collective bargaining.
The latter functions provide benefits to their members and support to them during
strikes/lockouts or during periods so temporary unemployment by giving them
financial support out of the funds raised with their contributions.
Wage differentials.
Industrial relations
Surplus Labour
Over centralization
Multi pricing of unions.
Political and bureaucratic influence.
Preventive Discipline.
Corrective Discipline.
To Employees
To Employers
To Society
Part-B
Industrial relations has become one of the most delicate and complex problems of
modern industrial society. Industrial progress is impossible without cooperation of
labours and harmonious relationships. Therefore, it is in the interest of all to create
and maintain good relations between employees (labour) and employers
(management).
The term Industrial Relations comprises of two terms: Industry and Relations.
Industry refers to any productive activity in which an individual (or a group of
individuals) is (are) engaged. By relations we mean the relationships that exist
within the industry between the employer and his workmen.
The term industrial relations explain the relationship between employees and
management which stem directly or indirectly from union-employer relationship.
Industrial relations are the relationships between employees and employers within
the organizational settings. The field of industrial relations looks at the relationship
between management and workers, particularly groups of workers represented by a
union. Industrial relations are basically the interactions between employers,
employees and the government, and the institutions and associations through
which such interactions are mediated.
The relationship between Employer and employee or trade unions is called
Industrial Relation. Harmonious relationship is necessary for both employers and
employees to safeguard the interests of the both the parties of the production.
In order to maintain good relationship with the employees, the main functions of
every organization should avoid any dispute with them or settle it as early as
possible so as to ensure industrial peace and higher productivity. Personnel
management is mainly concerned with the human relation in industry because the
main theme of personnel management is to get the work done by the human power
and it fails in its objectives if good industrial relation is maintained. In other words
good Industrial Relation means industrial peace which is necessary for better and
higher productions.
8. Nature of industry
In those industries where the costs constitute a major proportion of the total cast,
lowering down the labor costs become important when the product is not a
necessity and therefore, there is a little possibility to pass additional costs on to
consumer. Such periods, level of employment and wages rise in decline in
employment and wages.
This makes workers unhappy and destroys good industrial relations.
e) Follow-up of Results:
A constant review of an industrial relations programme is essential, so that existing
Practices may be properly evaluated and a check may be exercised on certain
undesirable tendencies, should they manifest themselves. A follow up of turnover,
absenteeism, departmental morale, employee grievances and suggestion; wage
administration, etc. should be supplemented by continuous research to ensure that
the policies that have been pursued are best fitted to company needs and employee
Satisfaction.
The Trade Union Act 1926 defines a trade union as a combination, whether
temporary or permanent, formed primarily for the purpose of regulating the
relations between workmen and employers or between workmen and workmen, or
between employers and employers, or for imposing restrictive condition on the
conduct of any trade or business, and includes any federation of two or more trade
unions.
This definition is very exhaustive as it includes associations of both the workers and
employers and the federations of their associations. Here, the relationships that
have been talked about are both temporary and permanent. This means it applies
to temporary workers (or contractual employees) as well. Then this definition,
primarily, talks about three relationships. They are the relationships between the:
Militant Functions
One set of activities performed by trade unions leads to the betterment of the
position of their members in relation to their employment. The aim of such
activities is to ensure adequate wages, secure better conditions of work and
employment, get better treatment from employers, etc. When the unions fail to
accomplish these aims by the method of
collective bargaining and negotiations, they adopt an approach and put up a fight
with the management in the form of go-slow tactics, strike, boycott, gherao, etc.
Hence, these functions of the trade unions are known as militant or fighting
functions. Thus, the militant functions of trade unions can be summed up as:
To achieve higher wages and better working conditions.
To raise the status of workers as a part of industry.
To protect labors against victimization and injustice.
Fraternal Functions
Another set of activities performed by trade unions aims at rendering help to its
members in times of need, and improving their efficiency. Trade unions try to foster
a spirit of cooperation and promote friendly industrial relations and diffuse
education and culture among their members. They take up welfare measures for
improving the morale of workers and generate self confidence among them. They
also arrange for legal assistance to its members, if necessary. Besides, these, they
undertake many welfare measures for their members, e.g., school for the education
of children, library, reading-rooms, in-door and out-door games, and other
recreational facilities. Some trade unions even undertake publication of some
magazine or journal. These activities, which may be called fraternal functions,
depend on the availability of funds, which the unions raise by subscription from
members and donations from outsiders, and also on their competent and
enlightened leadership. Thus, the fraternal functions of trade unions can be
summed up as:
The important forces that make the employees join a union are as follows:
2. Minimize Discrimination
The decisions regarding pay, work, transfer, promotion, etc. are highly subjective in
nature. The personal relationships existing between the supervisor and each of his
subordinates may influence the management. Thus, there are chances of
favoritisms and discriminations. A trade union can compel the management to
formulate personnel policies that press for equality of treatment to the workers. All
the labor decisions of the management are under close scrutiny of the labor union.
This has the effect of minimizing favoritism and discrimination.
3. Sense of Security
The employees may join the unions because of their belief that it is an effective way
to secure adequate protection from various types of hazards and income insecurity
such as accident, injury, illness, unemployment, etc. The trade union secure
retirement benefits of the workers and compel the management to invest in welfare
services for the benefit of the workers.
4. Sense of Participation
The employees can participate in management of matters affecting their interests
only if they join trade unions. They can influence the decisions that are taken as a
result of collective bargaining between the union and the management.
5. Sense of Belongingness
Many employees join a union because their co-workers are the members of the
union. At times, an employee joins a union under group pressure; if he does not, he
often has a very difficult time at work. On the other hand, those who are members
of a union feel that they gain respect in the eyes of their fellow workers. They can
also discuss their problem with the trade union leaders.
It can also transmit the feelings, ideas, opinions and complaints of the workers to
the management. The collective voice of the workers is heard by the management
and give due consideration while taking policy decisions by the management.
7. Betterment of relationships
Another reason for employees joining unions is that employees feel that unions can
fulfill the important need for adequate machinery for proper maintenance of
employer-employee relations. Unions help in betterment of industrial relations
among management and workers by solving the problems peacefully.
The growth of trade union movement was slow in this phase and later on the Indian
Factory Act of 1881 was amended in 1891. Many strikes took place in the two
decades following 1880 in all industrial cities. These strikes taught workers to
understand the power of united action even though there was no union in real
terms. Small associations like Bombay Mill-Hands Association came up by this time.
The third phase began with the emergence of independent India (in 1947). The
partition of country affected the trade union movement particularly Bengal and
Punjab. By 1949, four central trade union organizations were functioning in the
country:
The working class movement was also politicized along the lines of political parties.
For instance Indian national trade Union Congress (INTUC) is the trade union arm
of the Congress Party. The AITUC is the trade union arm of the Communist Party of
India. Besides workers, white-collar employees, supervisors and managers are also
organized by the trade unions, as for example in the Banking, Insurance and
Petroleum industries.
1. The rural workers, who constitute about 60 per cent of the workforce.
2. Organized sector, which employs 8 per cent of workforce, and
3. The urban informal sector (which includes the growing software industry and
other services, not included in the formal sector) which constitutes the rest
32 per cent of the workforce.
Wage differentials.
It is an area where comparison between the public and private sectors is
becoming common.
Industrial relations
Mandays lost due to strikes, lockouts etc,may not be a good index of
labour relations in Public sectors units.
Surplus Labour
This problem is the outcome of indiscriminate recruitment on account of
political pressures, reduction of activities, structural changes and
improvement in technology.
Over centralization
Management decision taken at local shop level is turned down by the
higher authorities.
Multi pricing of unions.
As in Private enterprises the existence of multiple unions has brought the
evils of inter union rivalries,at times the recognition of the union has also
been a problem to the management.
Political and bureaucratic influence.
Public enterprises are highly prone to be influenced by political and
bureaucratic set up. Generally political people influenced decision making
process.
ILO has defined collective bargaining as, negotiation about working conditions and
terms of employment between an employer and a group of employees or one or
more employee, organization with a view to reaching an agreement wherein the
terms serve as a code of defining the rights and obligations of each party in their
employment/industrial relations with one another.
CHARACTERISTIC OF C.B
5. Settlement: Once the parties are through with the bargaining process, a
consensual agreement is reached upon wherein both the parties agree to a common
decision regarding the problem or the issue. This stage is described as consisting of
effective joint implementation of the agreement through shared visions, strategic
planning and negotiated change.
IMPORTANCE OF C.B:
Collective bargaining includes not only negotiations between the employers and
unions but also includes the process of resolving labor-management conflicts. Thus,
collective bargaining is, essentially, a recognized way of creating a system of
industrial jurisprudence. It acts as a method of introducing civil rights in the
industry, that is, the management should be conducted by rules rather than
arbitrary decision making. It establishes rules which define and restrict the
traditional authority exercised by the management.
Importance to employees:
Importance to employers
Importance to society
LEVELS OF C.B:
1. National level
2. Sector or industry level
3. Company/enterprise level
Company/enterprise level:
The third bargaining level involves the company and/or establishment. As a
supplementary type of bargaining, it emphasizes the point that bargaining
levels need not be mutually exclusive.
The Code of Discipline was approved by all central organizations of workers and
employers at the sixteenth session of the Indian labour Conference in June 1958, at
the initiative of the Union lab our Minister G.L.Nanda. It is set of rules outline the
responsibilities of proper practice for an individual or Organizational