Question 1: To start things off, first of all as the HR manager of the organisation, a well strategized grievance handling procedures

needs to be develop in order for the whole system in the organisation is in good condition. Grievance can be best defined as any work related dispute arising out of the interpretation, application, and administration or alleged violation of the specific terms of the collective agreement. In other words, a grievance is essentially a complaint filed by an employee based on his or her interpretation of the collective agreement. Grievance consists of three forms that is factual, a factual grievance arises when the legitimate needs of the employees remain unfulfilled and as an example wage hike has been agreed to the foreign workers of the organisation but not implemented citing various reasons. Next is imaginary grievance, it occurs when an employees dissatisfaction is not because of any valid reasons but because of a wrong perception, wrong attitude, or wrong information. Through such situation, it might create an imaginary grievance even though the management is not at fault in such instances, still the problem needs to be solved. Thirdly is disguised grievance, an employee might have dissatisfaction for reasons that are unknown to the individual itself. If the individual is under pressure from family, friends, relatives, neighbours, the employee might reach at the workplace feeling uneasy and work performance will be affected. If a new recruit gets a new position it will become a discomfort to other employees who have not been treated likewise previously. Back to the grievance handling procedure, there are a few steps that need to be implemented in the organisation in order to create fairness and systematic management among the employees welfare. At any stage of the grievance machinery, the dispute must be handled by the authority members of the organisation management. In grievance redressal, the responsibility lies largely within the management. Therefore as mentioned above, grievances should be settled promptly at the beginning of the stage itself. The first procedure that can be implemented to handle any grievance problems in the organisation is acknowledging any dissatisfaction. This is because, the managerial or supervisory attitude to grievances is vital. The management members should focus on grievances instead of ignoring it and assume that nothing had happened among the employees and in this case referring to the foreign workers. It is as if the weakness of industrial conflict if the management members refuse to take note of any grievances that occurs. To communicate to the employees regarding this procedure is through person to person communication by

asking them the problems that they are facing and provide solution to it. Despite that open door system can also be implemented so that a free flow of communication between the employees and the top authorities of the organisation can be initiated. Next, another procedure that can be done to manage grievance handling is through defining the problem. In this situation, instead of trying to deal with an unclear feeling of discontent, the problem should be defined properly. Often in certain situations, the wrong complaint is being given thus it leads to miscommunication and false information. Therefore by effective listening, it can ensure that a true complaint is voiced. To prevent this from happening, all of the problems of grievance of the employees need to be analyzed thoroughly its validity in order to ensure that it is not a false information. Such action can be done is through giving reminders or make a session that is meant for the employees that wants to express their problems. The third procedure is by getting the facts that is valid. This is important to differentiate between what is an invalid fact and a valid one. Even though grievances result in hurt feelings, the effort should be to get the facts behind the feelings. Furthermore, there is need for a proper record of each grievance. Such procedure that can be created or implemented for the employees is that through efficient data collection from the employees so that each and every one of their data can be saved as a reference for the use of the management. Fourth procedure that can be implemented for the grievance handling is analyse and decide. In this procedure, decisions on each of the grievances will have a precedent effect while no time should be lost in dealing with them, it is no excuse to be careless about it. Grievance settlements provide opportunities for the management to correct themselves, and therefore come closer to the employees. Horse trading in grievance redressal due to union pressures may temporarily bring union leadership closer to the management of the organisation, but it will isolate the workforce away form the management. Last but not least, the final procedure that needs to be executed is the follow up action. The decisions taken must be followed up earnestly and they should be promptly communicated to the employee concerned. If a decision is a favourable to the employee, the top management should have the privilege of communicating the same. Some of the common pitfalls that the organisations management commit in grievance handling relates to stopping for the facts too soon, expressing management

opinions before gathering full facts, failing to maintain proper records, arbitrary exercise of executive discretion and the settling wrong grievances. Despite all of the procedures, in addition there are a few key points upon creating the procedure of grievance handling. Among them is fairness, it is needed not only just to be but also to keep the procedure possible, if employees develop the belief that the procedure is only a deception, therefore its value will be lost and other means required to deal with the grievances. It also involves following the principles of natural justice as in the case of a disciplinary procedure. Next are facilities for representation by the management can be of help to the individual foreign employee who lacks the confidence or experience to take on the task single handed. Apart from that, is procedural part whereby the steps should be limited to three because there is no value in having more just because there are more levels in the management hierarchy thus it will lengthen the time taken to deal with the matter and will soon bring the procedure into disrepute. Finally is promptness, it is needed to avoid the bitterness and frustration that can come from delay. Such example is when an employee goes into procedure, it is like getting them away from their task. The action is not taken lightly and it is in anticipation of a swift resolution. Furthermore, the manager whose decision is being questioned will have a difficult time until the problem is solved. Apart from the grievance handling, disciplinary procedures play a major part in the organisation. Discipline can be positively related to performance, it is the bridge between goals and accomplishments. Effective discipline should be aimed at the behaviour, and not at the employee personality. This is because the reason for discipline is to improve performance rather than punishing the employee. Among the factors necessary for an effective disciplinary procedures is such as training for supervisors is necessary, supervisors and mangers need to be trained on when and how discipline should be used. It is necessary to provide training on counselling skills as these skills are used while dealing with problem employees. Moreover, discipline decisions taken by trained supervisors are considered fair by both employees and managers. Next is the centralization of discipline, it means that the discipline decisions should be uniform throughout the organization. The greater the uniformity, higher will be the effectiveness of discipline procedure. Thirdly, is through impersonal discipline. Discipline should be handled impersonally. Managers should try to minimize the ill feelings arising out of the decisions by judging the offensive

behaviour and not by judging the person. Managers should limit their emotional involvement in the disciplinary sessions. Review disciplinary decisions and it must be reviewed before being implemented. This will ensure uniformity and fairness of the system and will minimize the arbitrariness of the disciplinary system. Other disciplinary procedures include notification of conduct that may result in discipline leads to misconduct can be listed and documented so the employees are aware of such actions. This will unable them to claim that they have not been notified, in advance, regarding the same. Next is the procedure on information regarding penalties, the employer should define the penalties and other actions like warnings, reprimands, discharge and dismissal well in advance. All these action plans must be communicated to the employees. Apart from that, discipline shall be progressive, discipline system should be progressive in nature. In a progressive discipline approach the severity of actions to modify behaviour increases with every step as the employee continues to show improper behaviour. The advantage of this approach is that employees cant take it for granted. A well disciplinary procedure requires effective documentation that requires accurate, written record keeping and written notification to the employees. Thus less chance will be left for the employee to say the he doesnt know anything about the policy. Discipline should be fair enough for the employee, both over penalization and under penalization are considered to be unfair for the problem employee. Moreover, an internal fairness is to be maintained, that is two employees who have committed the same offense should be equally punished. Discipline shall be flexible and consistent, the manager administering discipline must consider the effect of actions taken by other managers and of other actions taken in the past. Consistent discipline helps to set limits and informs people about what they can and cannot do. Inconsistent discipline leads to confusion and uncertainty. Final disciplinary procedure is its action should be prompt, in other words it should be immediate. The longer time lag between the misconduct offense and the disciplinary action will result in ineffectiveness of the discipline. To conclude, a proper grievance handling procedure is vital in order to maintain stability among the workforce in the organisation. Furthermore, the ongoing clear communication process between the employer and the employees is essential as well.

Question 3(b): To start things off, union can be best defined as an organization whose membership consists of workers and union leaders as a united to protect and promote their common interests. Regarding the union, there are three main reasons why employers opt to join the union and they have the equal rights to form unions. Therefore, for the first reason is to promote and protect the interests of their members. This is because the employers needs to protect the share of any profits that is being gained through partnership with other parties as in a form of compensation that is designed as an incentive to the employer or the manager to maximize the performance of the investment fund. Apart from that, the protection of the interest might as well something more than an economic interest. It is vital as it is one which the substantive law recognizes as belonging to or being owned by the applicant or the employer. Therefore a legally protectable interest is an interest that derives from a legal right. Next, the reason for an employer to join a union is so that they can negotiate and deal with trade unions of employees. The involvement of employers in a union will further prevent them from facing any conflicts with the trade union of the employees either through misconduct or other problems. Besides that, the negotiation process that they need to go through if there is any conflicts happen between them will be easily settled down. Last but not least, the final reason is to represent their members in any trade dispute between an individual member and the employees union. Trade dispute can best defined as any dispute between an employer and his workmen which is connected with the employment or the non employment or the terms of employment or the conditions of work of any such workmen (Industrial Relation Act, 1967, Section (2). Therefore when it comes to the situation whereby the need for a representative, the employer can volunteer themselves to assist their own members as long as they are in the union.

Question 3(a): As we all know employers and employees have the right to join any trade union as long as they are following the legal law. Despite that, employers can take certain measures in order for them to discourage or prevent their employees from joining a trade union without violating the stipulated legislation. Therefore, four main actions can be taken to ensure that the employees do not join any union trade. First of all, the employer can pay higher wages ad give better benefits than those prevailing in comparable companies that are organised in the same locality. Such strategy can be most witnessed among electronic companies that often implement it and succeed in it. Second action is to involve employees in all levels of decision making and effectively implement an open door policy by the elimination of barriers of status. Furthermore, the employees are being encouraged to interact informally at break times and there will be no separate dining facilities for management and non management staff. Besides that, social occasion should be organised frequently to further foster better relations between the staffs. Such example is through dinner function for any department in an organisation that helps to increase the socialisation. Thirdly, the appropriate action that can be taken is by offering training, development and a measure of security of tenure. By doing so, automatically the investment in the training itself by the company, shows that it values its employees and it proves that the employer is interested in the employees development. Last but not least, the final action that can be taken is through developing a climate of trust and loyalty in the organisation. Therefore, through regular feedback techniques, management can gather information about factors that are causing dissatisfaction. The employees problems, however trivial, are attended to and as far as possible solved with the help of the organisations management. But, if the resolution is not possible, the employees are told the reason. There is an emphasis on the training of supervisors to be effective, especially in terms of ensuring that they are fair in assigning duties, evaluating performance and giving praise and punishment.

Question 2: To begin with, first of all we need to know the definition of industrial relations in order to create a visionary first look at the aspect that will be discus referring to the question. Industrial relations can be best defined as a relationship that exists between employers and employees which stem directly or indirectly from union employer relationship, and it also covers 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. Furthermore, basically the interactions between employers, employees and the government, and the institutions and associations through which such interactions are mediated. From this perspective, industrial relations cover all aspects of the employment relationship, including human resource management, employee relations, and union-management or labour relations. Now its meaning has become more specific and restricted. Accordingly, industrial relations pertains to the study and practice of collective bargaining, trade unionism, and labour management relations, while human resource management is a separate, largely distinct field that deals with non union employment relationships and the personnel practices and policies of employers. Apart from that, the relationships which arise at and out of the workplace generally include the relationships between individual workers, the relationships between workers and their employer, the relationships between employers, the relationships employers and workers have with the organizations formed to promote their respective interests, and the relations between those organizations, at all levels. In addition, industrial relations also includes the processes through which these relationships are expressed such as collective bargaining, workers participation in decision making, and grievance and dispute settlement and the management of conflict between employers, workers and trade unions, whenever it arises. Apart from that, industrial relation as well comprises of its own rules in order to maintain stability within the relationship in the management. The rule consists of the whole range of relationships between employees and employees and employers which are managed by the means of conflict and cooperation. A significant industrial relations system is one in which relationships between management and employees and their representatives on the one hand, and between them and the state on the

other, are more harmonious and cooperative than conflict and creates an environment conducive to economic efficiency and the motivation, productivity and development of the employee and generates employee loyalty and mutual trust. Furthermore, exists three main parties that consist of employers, employees and the government. First of all, employers possess certain rights concerning labours. They have the right to hire and fire them. Management can also affect workers interests by exercising their right to relocate, close or merge the factory or to introduce technological changes. Next, discussing on the employees aspect, they seek to improve the terms and conditions of their employment. They exchange views with management and voice their grievances. Besides that, the employees also want to share decision making powers of management and generally unite to form unions against the management and get support from these unions. Last third party is the government, the central and state government influences and regulates industrial relations through laws, rules, agreements, and awards of court and the likes of others. It also includes third parties and labour and tribunal courts. Apart from that, the industrial relation rules are made unilateral, bilateral, and tripartite. Unilateral is considered as when the organization is perceived as an integrated and harmonious system, viewed as one happy family. A core assumption of unitary approach is that management and staff, and all members of the organization share the same objectives, interests and purposes thus working together, hand in hand, towards the shared mutual goals. Furthermore, unitary has a paternalistic approach where it demands loyalty of all employees. Trade unions are deemed as unnecessary and conflict is perceived as disruptive. From an employees point of view or perspective, it might as well perceive as working practices that should be flexible. Individuals should be business process improvement oriented, multi-skilled and ready to tackle with efficiency whatever tasks are required, a union that is recognized, and its role is that of a further means of communication between groups of staff and the company and employee participation in workplace decisions is enabled. This helps in empowering individuals in their roles and emphasizes team work, innovation, creativity, discretion in problem-solving, quality and improvement groups. As for the perspective of an employer is such as staff management conflicts from the perspective of the team or staffing responsibilities are seen as arising from lack of information, inadequate presentation of the managements policies. Moreover, the organizations wider objectives should be properly communicated and discussed with the staff. As

for the bilateral system, the organization is perceived as being made up of powerful and divergent sub groups management and trade unions. This approach sees conflicts of interest and disagreements between managers and workers over the distribution of profits as normal and inescapable. Consequently, the role of management would lean less towards enforcing and controlling and more toward persuasion and coordination. Trade unions are deemed as legitimate representatives of employees. Conflict is dealt by collective bargaining and is viewed not necessarily as a bad thing and if managed could in fact be channelled towards evolution and positive change. Realistic managers should accept conflict to occur. There is a greater propensity for conflict rather than harmony. Likewise, tripartite system exists NLAC council that consists of 14 representatives of employers, 14 employees and 12 government officers. Above all, these rules can affect the development of industrial relation in such way as an example, when a picket is being held, first of all to get the approval to do so by needing two third majorities in order for the employees to organize a picket demonstration. The reason why, is because it would further prevent the employees from getting involved in a picket that can cause instability in the organization. As for the effect towards the economic development, if there is no trade dispute happening, thus the environment in the organisation will be harmonious and stable, thus the productivity from the organization success will increase and moreover foreigners will be more attracted to invest in the organisation and it will benefit them at the same time. Apart from that, countries are more economically interdependent than before, particularly in view of foreign direct investment interlocking economies, as well as increased free trade. The inability of economies to be self-sufficient or self-reliant or self-contained has been accompanied by a breakdown of investment and trade barriers. Industrial relation has often been seen like a personnel management and as a non strategic operational function. The notion that it represents collective relations between an employer and employees and the union, conducted mainly through collective bargaining, reduces the collaborative processes of communication, discussion and participation, and emphasizes bargaining. The implication of industrial relations is that it involves unions rather than employees. The signs are that in industrialized countries at least industrial relations are assuming more strategic proportions. This is reflected in trends such as the move towards increased enterprise and plant level bargaining. This is a strategic change which enables industrial

relations bargaining to focus more on workplace needs and issues, and to also promote more direct participation of employees in bargaining. The trend towards flexibility in place of standardisation is also a strategic move in the sense that it is designed to increase competitiveness and the ability to respond rapidly to change. To conclude, the future of industrial relations may well depend on the capacity to develop more collaborative relations and to move away from adversarial ones. To some extent such a development could be influenced by the human resource management itself which, if effectively practised, should reduce hierarchical and authoritarian management and result in the setting up of consultative procedures. Implicit in the workplace industrial relations surveys in Asian countries is the recognition that the subject matter of industrial relations has to move beyond the exclusive preoccupation with the collective aspects of the employment relationship that has dominated policy as well as teaching and research for the past thirty years. The individual aspects of the employment relationship can no longer be treated simply as part of the context. The obvious justification for giving these individual aspects greater prominence is that the union free sector is becoming numerically more and more important. But this is not the only consideration. In the union sector it is the interplay between 'collectivism' and 'individualism' that emerges as increasingly important. Some might say that it was ever thus, and that it was only the near sightedness of industrial relations specialists that stopped us from recognizing the obvious. Be that as it may, there is no longer any justification for not accepting that industrial relations are about the employment relationship as a whole.