THE NEW INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS

Synopsis: Communication For Productivity Letters written to some 7500 Workers / Managers / Union Leaders, following a period of strike / Go slow / Murders (1979 - 1987), at Mumbai factory of Larsen & Toubro Ltd. This direct / open / honest communication led to a remarkable atmosphere of trust between Workers and Management, which, in turn, increased productivity at 3% per year (ave).

8 June 1981

To:

Dear friends

THE NEW INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS

"Industrial  Relations" are  the two  most inaligned words of English  language these days.   Thousands of  learned people, all around the world, are writing  millions of mostly not-so-learned words about IR.

As far as  I can see, industrial Relations  are really "Human Relations  in an  industrial Situation".  And  there are  any number of  situations where humans get  together and transact business (using human relations) such as:

-      Medical Situations

-      Legal Situations

-      Religious Situations

-      Family Situations, etc. etc.

But we do not hear much talk of:

Medical Relations, or

Legal Relations etc.

Why is that so?

Simply because, in those situations,  the relations involved/ invoked  are  basically treated  as  "Human  Relations"  and tackled as such.

Also  because,  in  most  such  cases,  the  relationship  is between two individuals, viz:

-      A   Doctor and a patient

-      A   Lawyer and a  client

-      A   Priest and a parishioner

-      A   Father and a son.

But when  it comes  to an  industrial situation,  the picture suddenly changes !

Here,  all kinds  of "third-parties"  get involved.   And for some  of these,  their

very  existence  depends upon  getting "involved" !

These "third" parties are :

-      The Labour Commissioner

-      The Labour Courts

-      The Labour/Management Lawyers

-      The Labour/Personnel Professionals

-      The Union Professionals

-      The "Advisors"

-      The Government, etc.etc.

The list is endless.

So what  should  be essentially  a  "person-to-person" affair has been turned  into a "public affair"!  The attitude of the "third" parties  is, "How dare  you settle  the issue  all by yourself just the two of you?"

Coming to  think of  it, left to  themselves, the  worker and the  supervisor are  incompetent to  "mess-up"  the matter -they need "third" party help to do this.' I

Thank God, "third" parties  have, as yet, not  discovered how each   one   of   us   manages   his/her   "person-to-person" relationship after working hours!

I  enclose herewith  first part  of  an article  on  "The New Industrial    Relations".    Although    there   are    those "omnipresent"  third-parties  in  the article,  the  message, essentially is  to get back to  the "Human Relations"  - on a person-to-person basis.

I hope those of  you who believe in "Miya Bibi  Rajee, to Kya Karega Kazi"  and waited  to practice  it, would  be able  to renew their faith through this article,   in any case, please feel  completely free  to  share  your  views with  me  -  in writing or across the table.

H.C. PAREKH