CONCEPT OF GRIEVANCE

Grievance is a sign of an employees discontent with job and its value

Any dissatisfaction or feeling of injustice in connection with ones employment situation that is brought to the notice of the management.

Causes of Grievance
The Causes of employee grievances include:-

1. Demand for individual wage adjustments.

2. Complaints about the incentive system 3. Complaints about the job classifications 4. Complaints concerning measures and procedures disciplinary

5. Objections to the general methods of supervisor

7. Promotion 8. Disciplinary discharge or lay-off

9. Transfer for another department or another shift.

10. In adequacy of safety and health services 11. Non-availability of materials in time 12. Undesirable and conditions of work. unsatisfactory

Need for procedure:

Grievance

Redressal

In absence of grievance Redressal procedure, an employee could either keep his dissatisfaction to himself or share with his colleagues. If he has no means of express he will get frustration.

If the settlement does not satisfy at the first level he can approach next level.

Grievance procedures keep a check on arbitrary action.

Grievance procedures help in upward communication.

A good grievance redressal harmonious industrial relations as employee grievances are settled before they turn into industrial conflict.

Effective grievance redressal

Enjoy the trust, confidence and respect of all the employees & the

management.
Identifies the root cause for employee grievance. Resolves the issue at the lowest possible level. Resolves the issue in an amicable manner. Resolves the issues without any delay. Does not result in any violation of organizational rules & policies. Provides for data and info management of employee grievance.

 Helps the management to identify the core issues , which need to be avoided in future. Provides unbiased & objective redressal of employee grievance.
Is a short & simple procedure that can be

easily understood by all the employees.

Legislative aspects procedure in India

of

the

grievance

redressal

India labor conference in 1957 decided to formulate a proper and satisfactory grievance redressal procedure.

A code of discipline was laid out according to which the management and the unions should establish on a mutual agreed basis.

The guiding principles are :1. Conformity with existing legislation

A grievance procedure should be acceptable to both the management and employees also should conform to the existing legislation of the firm.

1.

Simple and expeditions machinery:

when a grievance arises, it has to be settled at the lowest possible level in the redressal procedure.

Contd..

3.

Employee knowledge of grievance procedure:

employees should have thorough knowledge about grievance procedure. They should know whom to approach.

3.

Constitution committee:

of

the

grievance

The grievance committee consists of two representatives from management and two from union one from same department in which the concerned employee works.

Model Grievance Redressal procedure

Voluntary Arbitration
NS

VI Settlement within 7 days

Committee of union and management representatives

NS

V Managements decision on revision 7 days IV Decision within 7 days

Managers
NS

Grievance Committee Departmental Representatives Departmental Representatives

III Decision within 7 days

NS

Head of the Dept.

NS

II Decision within 3 days

supervisor
NS

I Stage Response within 48 hours

Foreman
NS

Verbally

Grievance Employee

Conflict Resolution
Avoidance
Accommodating Win/Lose Arbitration Meditation Compromising Problem Solving

Definition and concept of Discipline.

Discipline is employee self-control which prompts him to willingly cooperate with the organizational standards, rules, objectives, etc.

Aim and Objectives of discipline

To ensure and enable employees to work in accordance

with the rules and regulations of the organization. To ensure that employees follow the organizational processes and procedures in spite of their different personalities and behavior. To provide direction to the employees and fix responsibilities To improve organizational performance by improving the efficiency of each employee.

To

maintain a sense of orderliness and confidence in the employees towards each other and towards the management. To maintain common feelings of trust and confidence in the employees towards each other and towards the management. Disciplinary Procedure The different stages in the disciplinary procedure of an Indian organization are discussed below:

Forming and issuing a charge sheet: When the management of an organization wants to initiate an enquiry against an employee for alleged misconduct, the concerned employee is issued a charge Sheet.

Forms & Type of Discipline

Self imposed or positive discipline
Enforced or negative discipline

Act of Indiscipline or Misconduct

Minor infractions
Major infractions Intolerable offences

Basic Act of misconduct attendance On the Job behavior Dishonesty Activities that are harmful for the Org.

Causes of indiscipline & misconduct

When an employee has to perform a job that does not suit his qualifications, experience or aptitude, it can lead to employee frustration

& demotivation. This can lead to acts of misconduct like irregular attendance.
Strained relationship with supervisor or with colleagues.

 Improper or biased evaluation

Loss of trust or confidence in each other. Lack of proper education & upbringing of the

workers Improper or inconvenient working conditions Ambiguous working responsibilities

Disciplinary procedure
The charge sheet should clearly indicate the charges against the employee and seek an explanation for the employees misconduct.
Considering

the explanation: if the employee admits his misconduct or if the management is satisfied with the explanation offered by the employee in response to the charge-sheet, there is normally no further enquiry

Issuing the notice of enquiry: If it is decided that an enquiry be held. A notice of enquiry has to be issued to the worker. The notice must mention the time, date and place of enquiry. An enquiry officer is also appointed, preferably a person who has good knowledge in law. Holding a Full-fledged Enquiry: The enquiry should be in conformity with the principles of natural justice and the employee concerned must be given an opportunity to be heard. If it felt that the offence is serious or that the employee concerned might influence the enquiry proceedings, he might either be asked to go on leave or may be suspended with out pay, pending enquiry.

Final order of Action: The appropriate authority, based on the findings of the enquiry officer, makes the judgment. He either acquits the employee or judges him guilty of the charges. Based on the decision taken, the punishment for employees misconduct is determined. Before that manager should consider the employees previous record. In case the employee feels that the enquiry is biased or improper and that the disciplinary action is unjust, he should be given aop change to make an appeal. Follow-up: After administering disciplinary action, there should be prer follow-up .The punishment for misconduct should be conveyed to the employee.

Mc. Gregors Red Hot stove Rule:

One effective way to approach the disciplinary process is to follow what is popularly known as the red hot stove rule.
It suggests that administering discipline is more like touching a hot stove. According to Mc. Gregor action should be immediate, impartial, and consistent with a warning like the results of touching a red-hot stove. Immediate: The burn received when a person touches a red hot stove, like that an employee should be made to realize immediately if he or she is going against the norms or the rules.

Impersonal: Regardless of who touches it, the stove causes burns. In the same way the rule applied for a particular act of indiscipline should reflect the offense and not the person who committed it.

Consistent: every time a person touches a red-hot stove he receives burns. That is the results are consistent. In the same way discipline should be enforced and ensured across every employee and every situation.
Foreseeable: The red hot stove the individual through the heat it generates, that it will burn if touched. Same way employees should made aware that poor conduct or indiscipline will result in specific, pre-determined consequences.

Human Relations Relations:

Approach

to

Industrial

It emphasis on the human aspect and the way human feelings influence the work relations and behavior of employees in an organization. Socio-ethical Approach: This emphasis on ethics. Hence the workers and management should work in mutual cooperation and realize their moral responsibility towards the original objectives.

Gandhian Approach: This approach says industrial problems should be solved peacefully using nonviolent method. (satyagraha) System Approach: This approach developed by John Dunlop. The basic elements of the systems approach are the participants, environmental forces and the output. There are three major participants namely, the workers the management and their representatives. There are three types of environment that are relevant to industrial relations. Technological characteristics of the industry, market or economic constraints and the locus of power existing in a society.

Industrial Disputes Prevention Machinery

1. Worker Participation
2. Employee Grievance Redressal Machinery 3. Voluntary Arbitration settlement) (Third party for

4. Conciliation (an agreement between the two parties by offering advice. Conciliation officer of Industry or Board of Conciliation by Govt. 5. Court of Enquiry (only assists the process of conciliation does not have any power to give its verdict)

Industrial Disputes Prevention Machinery

6. Tripartite Bodies (Indian labor conference, standing labor committee, and industrial Committees help the Government in settling industrial disputes through agreements. ) Adjudication :- providing guideline to management and the employee
i. ii. iii. Labor courts (constituted by the state government) Industrial Tribunals (within jurisdiction of labor courts) National Tribunals (dispute more than one state)

7.

Collective Bargaining Collective Bargaining takes place when a number of work people enter into a negotiation as a bargaining unit with employer with the object of reaching an agreement on the conditions of the employment of work people.

Features of Collective Bargaining: Activity in level Group Activity Flexibility Win-win situation Builds Relationships An Art and a Science

Collective Bargaining Process

Preparation for negotiation: The first step in the process of collective bargaining is to make the necessary preparations to negotiate a contract. Both the demand parties should have a clear understanding and interpret the existing contract completely to identify the problems. Negotiation: The negotiation process begins with submission of the demand of the trade union to the management. The demands are usually on the higher
side-a little more than what employee actually want. The management also employs the same tactics and starts negotiation i.e, offering something some thing less than what it has in mind.

Contract Administration: The labor management relations in firm determine the success of administration of contract. The labor-management relations in the firm determine the success of administration of a contract. The administration is not as dramatic as the process of negotiation itself and therefore does not draw equal attention.

The terms of the contract and the agreement reached have to be widely circulated among all the employees.
One of the key elements of a contract would be the procedure for handling industrial disputes.

Prerequisites for a Effective Collective Bargaining

Unanimity among workers: Before entering into negotiations, there must be unanimity among workers. At least the representatives of workers should be able to present the opinion or demands of majority of workers or else, the management can take advantage of diverse demands of the workers. Strength of both the parties: Both the parties in negotiations should be equal in strength. One party dominating the other is against the whole nature of collective bargaining. It should always give & take process. Attitudes: The attitudes of the parties should always be positive The parties involved in collective bargaining should be prepared to give away something in order to gain something. Both parties to collective bargaining should observe and follow the terms and conditions of previous agreements that are reached

Representative Authority
The representatives of both parties should fully understand and be

clear about the problems and their implications. They should be given some authority in the process of negotiations.

The workers can make effective use of collective bargaining process to achieve participative management and good working conditions.
The parties concerned should have mutual trust and confidence and respect for each other and also show willingness to settle matters through negotiations. The process of bargaining should be free from unfair practices and conflict Each party should respect rights and responsibilities of the other party.

Bargaining Issues Wages and working conditions

Work Norms

Incentives payments
Job Security Changes in Technology Work tools, techniques and practices Staff transfers and promotions Grievances Disciplinary matters

Health and Safety

Insurance and benefits Union recognition/activities/responsibilities Management rights

Workers Participation In Management Its a formal method of providing opportunity for every member of the organization to contribute his brain and ingenuity as well as his physical efforts to the improvement of organizational effectiveness. The concept of workers participation aims at providing an opportunity to the workers to take part in the management decision making.
The degree of influence that workers are allowed to exercise , can be classified into five levels:

1.Informative participation: At this level of workers participation, information regarding the balance sheet, production targets, new technology introductions etc, is shared with the workers.

2.Consultative participation: Worker representatives in different forums like work committees and joint management councils are consulted on matters such as employee benefits, employee welfare and work conditions. 3. Associative participation: the management is under a moral obligation to accept and implement the unanimous decision of the workers council. 4.Administrative participation: In administrative participation, the workers council is given certain alternatives from which it can select the one it wants to implement. 5. Decisive participation: At this level, decisions are taken jointly on matters relating to production and welfare. As the decisions are taken with the mutual consent, both the parties are obliged to abide by them, and the decisions are successfully implemented.

Trade Unions. Trade unions play an important role in industrial relations. They are groups of worker representatives who fight for the betterment of workers. Function of Trade unions : a. Militant or intramural functions: Under this functions, trade unions fight with employers to achieve economic interests of their members. the issue may be better working conditions and other employment related concerns like fair wages, job security, balancing work hours etc. b. Fraternal or extramural functions: under these functions, trade unions fight with employers to achieve economic interests of their members. The issues may include better working conditions and other employment related concerns like fair wages, job security,balancing work hours. c. Social functions: Trade unions involve themselves in various activities to serve a social cause and accomplish their social responsibility towards different sections of the society.

d.Political Functions: Under these functions, trade unions associate themselves with a political party, get affiliated to the party and help it by enrolling members, campaigning for it during the elections, collecting donations etc. e. Ancillary Functions: Communication of the union ideology , welfare activities, education and research are the important ancillary functions of a trade union.

Issues of Trade union:

The problems faced by Indian trade unions are discussed in details here: Uneven Growth of Unionism: Uneven growth has been a major problem for trade union in India. Most trade union activities take place in large industrial sectors involving manual labour and in industrial centers of big states. Small Size of Unions: According to the Trade union Act of 1926, any seven workers can form a registered union. The trade unions have ignored the increasing number of women in the workforce and restricted their participation in the union and its activities. The basis for the formation of a trade union organization in India is the factory or the employment unit.

 The process of unionization started with the big employers

and slowly spread to the smaller employers.

The average membership has further declined when multiplicity of unions occurred. Financial Weakness: A large part of the income of trade unions comprises of the membership fee. The annual income of different trade unions has been very low in India. Multiplicity of unions: There are thirteen central Trade unions in India. Like Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), All India Trade Congress (AITUC), Centre of Indian Trade Union (CITU) It can been seen that multiple unionism is a major problem faced by Indian trade unions. One of the main causes of multiple unionism is political interference in Trade union activities. Politicians, involved in trade unions and their working, show more interest in increasing their influence rather than the improvement of the trade union movement.

Inter-Union Rivalry: Every industry in India has parallel trade unions.For example, the Indian railwaymens are the two parallel unions of Indian railways.The basic reason for inter-rivalry is the existence of multiple unions and non-existence of any formal legal code in the country to recognize a single union as the only bargaining agent. Leadership Issue: The Indian trade union movement has been closely associated with political parties from the beginning. Politics and unions:
The Indian Trade Unions Act of 1926 defines a trade union as

any combination, whether temporary or permanent, formed primarily for the purpose of regulating the relations between workmen and employers or between workmen and workmen or between employees and employers or for imposing restrictive conditions on the conduct of any trade or business, and includes any federation of two or more trade unions.