Industrial Disputes
Industrial disputes are
organised protests against existing terms of employment or conditions of
work. According to the Industrial Dispute Act, 1947, an Industrial
dispute means
“Any dispute or difference
between employer and employer or between employer and workmen or between
workmen and workmen, which is connected with the employment or
non-employment or terms of employment or with the conditions of labour
of any person”
In practice,
Industrial dispute mainly refers to the strife between employers and
their employees. An Industrial dispute is not a personal dispute of any
one person. It generally affects a large number of workers’ community
having common interests.
Prevention of Industrial Disputes:
The consequences of an
Industrial dispute will be harmful to the owners of industries, workers,
economy and the nation as a whole, which results in loss of
productivity, profits, market share and even closure of the plant.
Hence, Industrial disputes need to be averted by all means.
Prevention of Industrial disputes is a pro-active approach in which an
organisation undertakes various actions through which the occurrence of
Industrial disputes is prevented. Like the old saying goes, “prevention
is better then cure”.
1. Model Standing Orders: Standing
orders define and regulate terms and conditions of employment and bring
about uniformity in them. They also specify the duties and
responsibilities of both employers and employees thereby regulating
standards of their behaviour. Therefore, standing orders can be a good
basis for maintaining harmonious relations between employees and
employers.
Under Industrial Dispute Act,
1947, every factory employing 100 workers or more is required to frame
standing orders in consultation with the workers. These orders must be
certified and displayed properly by the employer for the information of
the workers.
2. Code of Industrial discipline: The code of Industrial discipline defines duties and responsibilities of employers and workers. The objectives of the code are:
ð To secure settlement of disputes by negotiation, conciliation and voluntary arbitration.
ð To eliminate all forms of coercion, intimidation and violence.
ð To maintain discipline in the industry.
ð To avoid work stoppage.
ð To promote constructive co-operation between the parties concerned at all levels.
3. Works Committee: The
Industrial Dispute Act, 1947 has provided for the establishment of
works committees. In case of any industrial establishment in which 100
or more workers are employed, a works committee consisting of employees
and workers is to be constituted; it shall be the duty of the Works
Committee to promote measures for securing and preserving amity and good
relations among the employees and workers.
4. Joint Management Councils:
5. Suggestion Schemes:
6. Joint Councils:
7. Collective Bargaining: Collective
Bargaining is a process in which the representatives of the employer
and of the employees meet and attempt to negotiate a contract governing
the employer-employee-union relationships. Collective Bargaining
involves discussion and negotiation between two groups as to the terms
and conditions of employment.
8. Labour welfare officer: The
factories Act, 1948 provides for the appointment of a labour welfare
officer in every factory employing 500 or more workers. The officer
looks after all facilities in the factory provided for the health,
safety and welfare of workers. He maintains liaison with both the
employer and the workers, thereby serving as a communication link and
contributing towards healthy industrial relations through proper
administration of standing orders, grievance procedure etc.
9. Tripartite bodies: Several
tripartite bodies have been constituted at central, national and state
levels. The India labour conference, standing labour committees, Wage
Boards and Industries Committees operate at the central level. At the
state level, State Labour Advisory Boards have been set up. All these
bodies play an important role in reaching agreements on various
labour-related issues. The recommendations given by these bodies are
however advisory in nature and not statutory.
Machinery for settlement of Industrial Disputes:
1. Conciliation: Conciliation
refers to the process by which representatives of employees and
employers are brought together before a third party with a view to
discuss, reconcile their differences and arrive at an agreement through
mutual consent. The third party acts as a facilitator in this process.
Conciliation is a type of state intervention in settling the Industrial
Disputes. The Industrial Disputes Act empowers the Central & State
governments to appoint conciliation officers and a Board of Conciliation
as and when the situation demands.
Conciliation Officer: The
appropriate government may, by notification in the official gazette,
appoint such number of persons as it thinks fit to be the conciliation
officer. The duties of a conciliation officer are:
a) To hold conciliation proceedings with a view to arrive at amicable settlement between the parties concerned.
b) To investigate the dispute in order to bring about the settlement between the parties concerned.
c) To send a report and memorandum of settlement to the appropriate government.
d) To send a report to the government stating forth the steps taken by him in case no settlement has been reached at.
The conciliation officer however has no power to force a settlement. He
can only persuade and assist the parties to reach an agreement. The
Industrial Disputes Act prohibits strikes and lockouts during that time
when the conciliation proceedings are in progress.
2. Arbitration: A
process in which a neutral third party listens to the disputing
parties, gathers information about the dispute, and then takes a
decision which is binding on both the parties. The conciliator simply
assists the parties to come to a settlement, whereas the arbitrator
listens to both the parties and then gives his judgement.
Advantages of Arbitration:
ð It is established by the parties themselves and therefore both parties have good faith in the arbitration process.
ð The process in informal and flexible in nature.
ð It is based on mutual consent of the parties and therefore helps in building healthy Industrial Relations.
Disadvantages:
ð Delay often occurs in settlement of disputes.
ð Arbitration is an expensive procedure and the expenses are to be shared by the labour and the management.
ð Judgement can become arbitrary when the arbitrator is incompetent or biased.
There are two types of arbitration:
a) Voluntary Arbitration: In
voluntary arbitration the arbitrator is appointed by both the parties
through mutual consent and the arbitrator acts only when the dispute is
referred to him.
b) Compulsory Arbitration: Implies
that the parties are required to refer the dispute to the arbitrator
whether they like him or not. Usually, when the parties fail to arrive
at a settlement voluntarily, or when there is some other strong reason,
the appropriate government can force the parties to refer the dispute to
an arbitrator.
3. Adjudication: Adjudication
is the ultimate legal remedy for settlement of Industrial Dispute.
Adjudication means intervention of a legal authority appointed by the
government to make a settlement which is binding on both the parties. In
other words adjudication means a mandatory settlement of an Industrial
dispute by a labour court or a tribunal. For the purpose of
adjudication, the Industrial Disputes Act provides a 3-tier machinery:
a) Labour court
b) Industrial Tribunal
c) National Tribunal
a) Labour Court: The
appropriate government may, by notification in the official gazette
constitute one or more labour courts for adjudication of Industrial
disputes relating to any matters specified in the second schedule of
Industrial Disputes Act. They are:
v Dismissal or discharge or grant of relief to workmen wrongfully dismissed.
v Illegality or otherwise of a strike or lockout.
v Withdrawal of any customary concession or privileges.
Where an Industrial dispute
has been referred to a labour court for adjudication, it shall hold its
proceedings expeditiously and shall, within the period specified in the
order referring such a dispute, submit its report to the appropriate
government.
b) Industrial Tribunal: The
appropriate government may, by notification in the official gazette,
constitute one or more Industrial Tribunals for the adjudication of
Industrial disputes relating to the following matters:
v Wages
v Compensatory and other allowances
v Hours of work and rest intervals
v Leave with wages and holidays
v Bonus, profit-sharing, PF etc.
v Rules of discipline
v Retrenchment of workmen
v Working shifts other than in accordance with standing orders
It is
the duty of the Industrial Tribunal to hold its proceedings
expeditiously and to submit its report to the appropriate government
within the specified time.
c) National Tribunal: The
central government may, by notification in the official gazette,
constitute one or more National Tribunals for the adjudication of
Industrial Disputes in
v Matters of National importance
v Matters
which are of a nature such that industries in more than one state are
likely to be interested in, or are affected by the outcome of the
dispute.
It is the duty of the
National Tribunal to hold its proceedings expeditiously and to submit
its report to the central government within the stipulated time.
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