CHANGING SCENARIO IN INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS

The rapid automation and adoption of modern technology in industries have dwindled the job opportunities at an alarming rate. Industries on their part are also eager to reduce the manpower and select highly skilled personnel who can perform multifarious functions single-handedly. This has blocked the entry of personnel who have learnt any one skill or opted for specialization in a particular subject. Secondly, modern educational opportunities have helped a section of upper layer in our society to compete with the less privileged sections and grabbing the top positions in industries.
In view of the liberalization and globalization initiated and implemented by the Central Government has given an impetus in foreign investments in our country. This has brought in a new culture and diluted labour policy as a backroom understanding with the investors by the Government. On the one hand, employers are nowadays concentrating on higher output with less manpower and on the other hand employees are unable to adjust with the new work ethics and strings attached to their job, and they are feared about the loss of employment and welfare amenities which they have been enjoying since long. In fact, the pressure of unemployed people who knock the doors everyday is seen as a major factor for the managements in industries to opt for cheap labour which is available easily from outside sources prompt them to adopt harsher measures on the employees working in industrial organizations with a view to extract more output from them. Such tendency in industrial circle started creating friction in industries. Considering the influx of cheap foreign goods and cut throat competition between various industrial units manufacturing similar products forced the managements to change their policy towards the workers in order to survive in the competitive world of today. But, nobody is having time to ponder over the attitudinal changes of the employees, especially of middle and lower levels to find remedial measures in the existing work structure. If some one goes to the roots for the search of its cause, it can be found that the distasteful and monotonous work has made them insensitive to the needs of the organization.
What an organization should do to motivate them? The answer to this question is quite complex. However, on an experimental basis, at least there can have a rapport between the shop floor employees and supervisory cadre so as to measure the growing aspirations and frustrations in their work sphere and report the same to the higher management for corrective measures.
The other important factor is the suppressed aspiration of an employee to climb the ladder of success, which reflects in the form of dissatisfaction in the work allotted to him and expressing his anger and frustration to his immediate boss and co-workers. In order to make attitudinal changes in the employees, there should have a mechanism to understand the rising aspirations of the employees and their attraction towards higher grades and the status of the post in the hierarchy of an organization. However, the higher echelons of the organization naturally fail to judge the mood and reluctant to adopt a pragmatic approach by way of better training and human resources development for utilizing their skills and knowledge for its prosperity.
The modern management concept calls for maintaining mutual understanding between the management and employees based on a pre-fixed target of production and marketing so as to share the profits in a congenial atmosphere. Though the idealism is good, its implementation sometime backfires whenever the expected output is not given by the employees due to the unforeseen factors or stagnant market thereby resulting misunderstanding on either part due to the failure of commitment.
In the beginning of 21st century, the global recession started raising its ugly heads resulting in large scale retrenchments and golden shake hands in many large and medium scale industrial units. The investors became wary about the future due to the incapacity of the buyers on par with the quantum of production and the tendency on the part of the customers to compare the value of similar products available in the market. All these cumulative factors forced the managements in private sector either to close down their enterprises or invest the capital in profit oriented products to survive under the cut throat competition. The half hearted attitude of the industrialists to revive the existing sick units and the failure to investigate the drawbacks in attaining profits after sales demoralized the workforce to a great extent. Many of the small scale units which supplied
spares and other auxiliaries to medium and large scale units were forced to close down due to the insufficient orders for their products thereby throwing the workers to the streets, where they are now struggling to earn their livelihoods by doing one or other menial jobs. When all these developments were taking place, the Government stood as a moot spectator and the authorities concerned who were supposed to protect the interest of the workers as well as the industrialists did not made any concrete plan to help them out and come out from their miserable conditions. The industrial establishments working under the direct control of the Government also started making losses which forced them to offer golden shake hands to their employees with a view to reduce the manpower and adopt automation or diversification to other profitable areas.
There were tremendous pressures from the trade unions against retrenchment of workers and modernization. This was because of the fear that in our Indian social condition, modernization in comparison with the developed western countries may mar the prospects of employment opportunities. To some extent, this view of the trade unions is also agreed by the Government and thus there was a reluctant or forced adoption of modern technology in certain sectors. At this stage, the bargaining capacity or muscle power of the unions was eroded in view of the insensitiveness to their demands by the managements in private sector. The gradual closure of many giant industries resulted in loss of production and severe unemployment. But, there was justification for such actions on the part of their managements though trade unions blamed mismanagement and misappropriation of working capital. Moreover, the mushroom growth of professional trade unions and self-styled leaders hampered the interest of the workmen at the final stage of bargaining. There are allegations that illiteracy and unawareness of the majority of employees have been exploited by some employers, but in some cases, there were high handedness on the part of employees as they demanded excessive benefits/wages without considering its impact on the organization. Such developments and distrust between the employers and employees ultimately led to the sickness of industries because the managements failed to convince the workmen about the actual strength on which it stands. The other factors were the lack of planning in selection of products, method of manufacturing, marketing strategy, appointment of trained personnel and professionalism in management.
The erosion of the bargaining strength of trade unions resulted in the loss of faith on the leaders. The employees thought that it is because of the collusion between the management and leaders; they are deprived of their legitimate demands. Moreover, the litigation in industrial courts for fairness and justice does not provide speedy consolation or award and sometimes, such process has taken years together for final award/settlement. During such legal battles, employers and employees loss their mutual relationship and hard their attitude towards each other thereby making an adverse impact on the growth and prosperity of the organizations. However, the visionaries in management, who lead certain industries always try to understand the mood of the employees and provide them with fair wages and welfare measures with a string that they must give optimum output as per the demands of the situation. It is seen as a scientific approach in human relations in industries where non-productive persons have no place to stick on for long time. The other attraction of such mutual understanding and relationship for the prosperity of the organization is that each and every employee is responsible for his own work and the guidance of a humanist supervisor. He knows his sincere work leads the organization on the forefront of others and in turn he is going to get the share of its prosperity.
The liberalization process initiated by the Central Government, the end of licence raj, investment of foreign capital and easy import procedures have attached our economy globally, which until recently was protected by various tariff measures and rules and regulations in a closed market condition. The pioneers in private sector welcomed this change; but it is yet to be seen how they are changing their attitude towards their employees and training them to the needs of the change. Finally, the absorption of the unutilized manpower whether in skilled form or unskilled abundantly available in our country is yet another big question mark before the policy makers. Shall this change of policy of Government positively affect the growth of the existing industries or are they capable of competing technologically and qualitatively in the international market? The answer lies in shaping a realistic industrial relation in tune with the changing need of time and absorbing the unutilized manpower in various sectors. And if we fail in our attempt to emancipate the existing chaotic conditions of the workers who were thrown out from different industrial units and their plights are not heard or redressed, then a day will come that the well off sections who are in minority may have to face the repercussions and onslaught of the teeming millions crying for justice and amelioration of their social status! Still there are ample opportunities and resources on the part of the Government to study and assess the social conditions of this section of the society and adopt pragmatic approach to help them out from their existing miserable and poor social conditions and assist them to lead a decent life!