Presented by: Smita Paramguru F.Y.M.B.A.

WORKER PARTICIPATION

OVERVIEW

Work committees. Joint management councils. Board level participation.

Evolution of Schemes of Workers participation.

Participation in public sectors Undertaking. Participation in private undertaking.

Worker management Bill.

Reasons for failure of worker in management.

WORK COMMITTEE
IMPORTANCE:

a) To promote measures for securing and preserving amity and good relations between employers and workmen;
b) To that end comment upon matters of common interest or concern; and c) To Endeavour to compose any material difference of opinion between the employer and the workmen in respect of such matters.

FUNCTIONS OF WORK COMMITTEE

Conditions of work, such as ventilation, lighting, temperature and sanitation, including latrines and urinals. Amenities such as drinking water, canteens, dining rooms, crches, rest rooms, medical and health services. Safety, and accident prevention, occupational diseases and protective equipment. Adjustment of festival and national holidays. Administration of welfare and funds. Educational and recreational activities such as, libraries ,reading rooms, cinema shows,sports, games, picnic parties. And other compensatory undertakings.

J OINT
OBJECTIVES:

MANAGEMENT COUNCIL

Promoting cordial relation between management and workers.

Developing understanding and trust. And training to understand the responsibility.

FUNCTIONS OF JMCS

CONSULTATIVE FUNCTION:

Is to be consulted by management on matters like general administration of standing orders, and introduction of new methods of productions and replacement men and machinery.

SUGGESTION MAKING FUNCTION: Like suggestion regarding sales , production, annual balance sheet, profit and loss, methods of manufacturing, expansion etc.

ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTION : It includes welfare measures, safety, vocational training, wages , allowances etc.

BOARD LEVEL PARTICIPATION

IMPORTANCE:

1) It deals with Issues relating to finances, wage structure, fringe and other benefits, bonus, housing, medical facilities, overall recruitment and personnel policies and norms and resolution of disputes.
2) Consequences on labour strength. Expansion schemes. Export strategy and effects on work schedules etc, Product mix,etc.

EVOLUTION OF SCHEMES OF WORKER PARTICIPATION

In the year 1975 the Government formulated a scheme of workers Participation in industry at shop floor( workplace consisting of the part of a factory housing the machines; "the productive work is done on the shop floor) and plant level(management regarding inventory). The scheme was to be implemented in the first instance in enterprises in the manufacturing and mining industries.

Soon afterwards, in 1977, the Government of India introduced another scheme for participation. This scheme of workers participation in management was meant for commercial and service organizations having large scale public dealings such as hospitals, post and telegraphs, railway stations/booking offices, government provident fund and pensions organization, road transportation, electricity boards etc.
Another scheme was introduced in December 1983. This scheme of workers participation in management was made applicable to central public sector undertakings

C OMPARISON
PLANT LEVEL COUNCIL

SHOP LEVEL COUNCIL

Quality and technological improvements. Storage and inventories, analysis of decisions on accumulation of inventories of raw materials. Design development, Inspection, rectification, machine utilization. Cost reduction including value analysis, method Improvements.

Shop Level Issues having commonality amongst various Centres such as common production facilities. Storage facilities in a shop, material economy, errors in documents, operational problems, wastage control, hazards. Safety problems, quality improvement, monthly targets and production schedules, review of utilisation of critical machines, cost reduction programmes, technological innovations.

PARTICIPATION IN PUBLIC UNDERTAKING

While nationalising banks it was announced that a scheme would be formulated to provide for workers participation in management. Accordingly, the Nationalised Banks (management and miscellaneous) Scheme 1970 was notified by the Government. The scheme provided for the appointment of a Workman Director and a Director representing the Officers cadre of each bank on the Board of each nationalised banks. To reduce the danger of apathy, councils of management may be entrusted with some administrative responsibility, such as administration of welfare measures, supervision of safety measures, operation of vocational training and apprenticeship scheme. It also includes the plant and shop council.

PARTICIPATION IN PRIVATE UNDERTAKING

Workers Participation in management in TISCO After several years of study and discussions with the recognised unions in 1997, Tata Iron and Steel Company at Jamshedpur set up a three-tier machinery for consultation.

I. Joint Departmental Councils II. Joint Works Councils III. Joint Consultative Council of Management

J OINT D EPARTMENTAL C OUNCILS

The Joint Departmental Council operates at the level of every department or a combination of two or more departments. FUNCTIONS:

To study the operational results and current and long term departmental problems. To advise necessary steps at departmental level. To promote and rationalize production And to refer any matter to joint work council.

J OINT WORKS C OUNCILS

The Joint Works Council is for the entire works,and coordinates the activities of the Departmental Councils. Parallel to the Joint Works Councils there is a joint town and medical council for dealing with matters relating to the township, medical, health and education matters.

J OINT C ONSULTATIVE C OUNCIL OF M ANAGEMENT

The Joint Consultative Council of Management is at the top. It is entrusted with the task of advising the management on all matters concerning the working of The industry in relation to production and welfare. As a safeguard against the overlapping of the functions of the joint councils and the collective bargaining machinery the role of the joint councils has been streamlined.

WORKER MANAGEMENT BILL (1990)

Taking into account the shortcomings of the various schemes implemented from time to time: SILENT FEATURES:

The Bill proposed to cover all the industrial establishments or undertakings as defined under the Industrial Disputes Act,1947.

The responsibility for enforcement will be that of the State Government.

The Bill proposes the constitution of one or more Councils at the Shop Floor Level and a Council at the establishment level. The Bill also envisages a Board of Management at the Apex level where representatives of the workmen as defined under the ID Act shall constitute 13%,and persons representing other workers shall constitute 12% of the total strength of such management.

CONTD..

If any person contravenes any of the provisions of this Act or the Scheme made there under shall be punishable with imprisonment which may extend up to 2 years or with the fine which may extend up to Rs. 20,000/- or with both. The Bill further provides that a Monitoring Committee comprising of equal number of members representing the appropriate Government, the workers and the employers may be constituted by the appropriate Government to review and advise on matters which arise out of the administration of the Act, any scheme or any rules made there under. The proposed Bill empowers the Government to exempt any employer or classes of employees from all or any of the provisions of the Act.

REASONS FOR FAILURE OF WORKER S PARTICIPATION IN MANAGEMENT.

Employers resist the participation of workers in decisionmaking. This is because they feel that workers are not competent enough to take decisions.

Workers representatives who participate in management have to perform the dual roles of workers spokesman and a comanager. Very few representatives are competent enough to assume the two incompatible roles. Generally Trade Unions leaders who represent workers are also active members of various political parties. While participating in management they tend to give priority to political interests rather than the workers cause. Schemes of workers participation have been initiated and sponsored by the Government. However, there has been a lack of interest and initiative on the part of both the trade unions and employers.

CONTD..

In India, labour laws regulate virtually all terms and conditions of employment at the workplace. Workers do not feel the urge to participate in management, having an innate feeling that they are born to serve and not to rule. The focus has always been on participation at the higher levels, lower levels have never been allowed to participate much in the decision-making in the organizations. The unwillingness of the employer to share powers with the workers representatives, the disinterest of the workers and the perfunctory attitude of the government towards participation in management act as stumbling blocks in the way of promotion of participative management.

CONCLUSION
For successful initiation and functioning of the institutions of worker s participation in management , serious attention has to be given to the removal of the hurdles as mentioned above The governmental efforts should be confined to giving guidelines and to remove the impediments in the way like reducing trade union rivalry by amending trade unions laws .

BIBLIOGRAPHY

WWW.GOOGLE.COM WWW.EDURITE.COM WWW.GOVLABOR.NIC.IN WWW.ASK.COM

Book referred:

Industrial relations, trade unions, and labour legislation . Sinha and Sinha.