EMPLOYEE AND EMPLOYER RELATIONSHIP

EMPLOYEE   AND   EMPLOYER   RELATIONSHIP

In this world of privatization employee and employer relationship is gaining high priority.

Civil service unions have not only directed their efforts towards securing substantative improvements in working conditions. They have also concentrated to formulate and administer personnel policies.

Unfortunately these are formulated with the consent of the public. This remained most neglected in the field of public personnel administration. They are unprepared in psychological attitude and ill-equipped in personnel technique to cope with a labour problem of growing importance.

Administrative officials oppose, or show passive resistance to the union, organisations formed, reluctant to recognise, …

The few experiments in employee relations introduced in  have not provided fruitful results. It is because the analysis is not systematic. The supervisory officials are not fully aware of their potential relevance and applicability.

The early employer-employee relations in the public employment followed the traditional pattern in which civil service was considered and important part of government.

The civil servants were treated as the soldiers and the sailors.

They were expected to owe unquestionable loyalty to the state.

The conditions of service of the employees were unilaterally determined by the heads of the administration without consulting the employees.

Through joint and united efforts and concerted action only they could ensure improvement in their service conditions.

The state must be an example of a model employer for promoting sound employer-employee relationships. As a matter of fact, certain policies the state follows as employer greatly influence industrial relations in the private sector and in turn the state will be influenced by the policies it has evolved.

The people at work like to be treated as human beings.

The recognition of human dignity was one of the cardinal factors that made the employees to associate.

Industrial disputes Act 1947 and its subsequent amendments permit the government’s intervention in labour disputes.

It is through conciliation and adjudication.

Industrial disputes for the prevention and settlement consists of

1.      Statutory procedures

2.      Voluntary arrangements provide for recognition of unions

The National Commission on Labour recognized the basic defects in the existing system and recommended for improvement of the position.

1.      Statutory recognition to unions is not there

2.      For the workers to bargain in good faith, statutory provisions are not required

For collective bargaining to be fully effective,

1.      Legal protection of the right of workers to  form, join and participate in union activities

2.      To negotiate on elections, wages, conditions of service,

3.      A system to implement labour laws

4.      To maintain industrial democracy,

The National Commission on Labour made some recommendations;

1.      Recognition of unions

2.      Setting up of a permanent independent Industrial Relations commission

3.      Legal provision for suitable penalty

It is observed that the industrial relations is passing through unprecedented  era of drift and uncertainty,

The major policy matters remained unsolved and unattended.