Proper Project on t.u and c.p

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INTRODUCTION

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In India the Trade Union movement is generally divided on political lines. According to provisional statistics from the Ministry of Labour, trade unions had a combined membership of 24,601,589 in 2002. As of 2008, there are 12 Central Trade Union Organisations (CTUO) recognized by the Ministry of labour.

Trade Union in India is the primary instrument for promoting the union of trade union movement and championing the cause of working class in India. The Madras Labor Union was the first organized Trade Union in India followed by a large number of trade unions in the Indian industrial centers. The Indian government passed the Trade Unions Act in 1926, which legalized the registered Trade Union in India. The Act also gives protection to these trade unions against certain civil and criminal cases.

The Trade Union in India is engaged in protesting against the attacks on trade union right

i. Right to strikeii. Right to collective bargainingiii. Reduction of social securityiv. Closure of industrial units and massive retrenchment

of workersv. The endangering growth of unemployment. 

DEFINATION

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Trade union is an association either of employees or employer or of independent worker.

It is a relatively permanent formation of workers.

It is formed for securing certain economic, social benefit to workers.

RECOGNISED TRADE UNIONS

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Political affiliation in brackets.

All India Central Council of Trade Unions (Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation)

All India Trade Union Congress (Communist Party of India)

All India United Trade Union Centre (Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist)

Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh)

Indian National Trade Union Congress (Indian National Congress)

New Trade Union Initiative (Independent from political parties, but left)

Centre of Indian Trade Unions (Communist Party of India (Marxist))

Hind Mazdoor Sabha (socialists) Labour Progressive Federation (Dravida Munnetra

Kazhagam) SEWA Trade Union Coordination Committee (All India Forward

Bloc)United Trade Union Congress (Revolutionary Socialist

Party)

Other trade union centers

Akhil Bharatiya Kamgar Sena (Akhil Bharatiya Sena)

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All India Centre of Trade Unions (Marxist Communist Party of India (United))

All India Federation of Trade Unions (marxist-leninists) Andhra Pradesh Federation of Trade

Unions (Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist)) Anna Thozhil Sanga Peravai (All India Anna Dravida

Munnetra Kazhagam) Bharatiya Kamgar Sena (Shiv Sena) Bharatiya Mazdoor Sabha (Provisional Central

Committee, Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist))

Hind Mazdoor Kisan Panchayat (Janata Dal (United)) Indian Confederation of Labour Indian Federation of Trade Unions (Communist Party of

India (Marxist-Leninist) New Democracy) Kerala Trade Union Congress (Kerala Congress, KTUC

(B) belongs to KC (B); KTUC (M) belongs to KC (M), etc.) Maharashtra General Kamgar Union (Kamgar Aghadi) Indian National Trinamool Trade Union Congres Pattali Trade Union (Pattali Makkal Katchi) Socialist Trade Union Centre (SNDP) Swatantra Thozhilali Union (Indian Union Muslim

League) Telugu Nadu Trade Union Council (Telugu Desam Party) Trade Union Centre of India (Communist Party of India

(Marxist-Leninist)) United Trade Union Congress

(Bolshevik) (Revolutionary Socialist Party (Bolshevik))

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Confederation of Free Trade Unions of India (CFTUI) ( Non-political affiliated Unions of India )

United Trade Union Congress (Marxist) (Revolutionary Socialist Party (Marxist))

kamgar ektaAssam

Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha, affiliated to Indian National Trade Union Congress (Indian National Congress)[1]

Assam Sangrami Chah Shramik Sangh, affiliated to All India Central Council of Trade Unions (Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation)

Assam Tea Labour Union[

Cachar Chah Sramik Union, affiliated to Indian National Trade Union Congress (Indian National Congress)

Namoni Asam Cha Mazdoor Sangh, affiliated to Centre of Indian Trade Unions (Communist Party of India (Marxist)

West Bengal

All West Bengal Tea Garden Labourers Union (Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist))

Cha Bagan Mazdoor Union, affiliated to Centre of Indian Trade Unions (Communist Party of India (Marxist))

FEATURES OF TRADE UNION

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1. It is an association either of employers or employees or of independent workers. They may consist of :-

o Employers’ association (e.g., Employer’s Federation of India, Indian paper mill association, etc.)

o General labor unionso Friendly societieso Unions of intellectual labor (e.g., All India

Teachers Association)

2. It is formed on a continuous basis. It is a permanent body and not a casual or temporary one. They persist throughout the year.

3. It is formed to protect and promote all kinds of interests –economic, political and social-of its members. The dominant interest with which a union is concerned is, however, economic.

4. It achieves its objectives through collective action and group effort. Negotiations and collective bargaining are the tools for accomplishing objectives.

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5. Trade unions have shown remarkable progress since their inception; moreover, the character of trade unions has also been changing. In spite of only focusing on the economic benefits of workers, the trade unions are also working towards raising the status of labors as a part of industry.

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OBJECTIVES OF TRADE UNION

Trade unions are formed to protect and promote the interests of their members. Their primary function is to protect the interests of workers against discrimination and unfair labor practices. Trade unions are formed to achieve the following objectives: 

RepresentationTrade unions represent individual workers when they have a problem at work. If an employee feels he is being unfairly treated, he can ask the union representative to help sort out the difficulty with the manager or employer. Unions also offer their members legal representation. Normally this is to help people get financial compensation for work-related injuries or to assist people who have to take their employer to court.

NegotiationNegotiation is where union representatives, discuss with management, the issues which affect people working in an organization. There may be a difference of opinion between management and union members. Trade unions negotiate with the employers to find out a solution to these differences. Pay, working hours, holidays and changes to working practices are the sorts of issues

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that are negotiated. In many workplaces there is a formal agreement between the union and the company which states that the union has the right to negotiate with the employer. In these organizations, unions are said to be recognized for collective bargaining purposes.

Voice in decisions affecting workersThe economic security of employees is determined not only by the level of wages and duration of their employment, but also by the management’s personal policies which include selection of employees for layoffs, retrenchment, promotion and transfer. These policies directly affect workers. The evaluation criteria for such decisions may not be fair. So, the intervention of unions in such decision making is a way through which workers can have their say in the decision making to safeguard their interests.

Member serviceDuring the last few years, trade unions have increased the range of services they offer their members. These include:

Education and training - Most unions run training courses for their members on employment rights,

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health and safety and other issues. Some unions also help members who have left school with little education by offering courses on basic skills and courses leading to professional qualifications.

Legal assistance - As well as offering legal advice on employment issues, some unions give help with personal matters, like housing, wills and debt.

Financial discounts - People can get discounts on mortgages, insurance and loans from unions.

Welfare benefits - One of the earliest functions of trade unions was to look after members who hit hard times. Some of the older unions offer financial help to their members when they are sick or unemployed.

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FUNCTIONS OF TRADE UNION

Trade unions perform a number of functions in order to achieve the objectives. These functions can be broadly classified into two categories:

(I)  Militant functions, (II) Fraternal functions

Militant Functions

One set of activities performed by trade unions leads to the betterment of the position of their members in relation to their employment. The aim of such activities is to ensure adequate wages secure better conditions of work and employment get better treatment from employers, etc. When the unions fail to accomplish these aims by the method ofCollective bargaining and negotiations, they adopt an approach and put up a fight with the management in the form of go-slow tactics, strike, boycott, gherao, etc. Hence, these functions of the trade unions are known as militant or fighting functions. Thus, the militant functions of trade unions can be summed up as:

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To achieve higher wages and better working conditions

To raise the status of workers as a part of industry

To protect labors against victimization and injustice

Fraternal Functions

Another set of activities performed by trade unions aims at rendering help to its members in times of need, and improving their efficiency. Trade unions try to foster a spirit of cooperation and promote friendly industrial relations and diffuse education and culture among their members. They take up welfare measures for improving the morale of workers and generate self confidence among them. They also arrange for legal assistance to its members, if necessary. Besides, these, they undertake many welfare measures for their members, e.g., school for the education of children, library, reading-rooms, in-door and out-door games, and other recreational facilities. Some trade unions even undertake publication of some magazine or journal. These activities, which may be called fraternal functions, depend on the availability of funds, which the unions raise by subscription from members and donations from outsiders, and also on their competent and enlightened leadership. Thus, the fraternal functions of trade unions can be

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summed up as:

To take up welfare measures for improving the morale of workers

To generate self confidence among worker To encourage sincerity and discipline among

workers To provide opportunities for promotion and

growth To protect women workers against

discrimination.

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PROBLEMS OF TRADE UNION

Uneven growth:

Industry-wise and Area-wise: Trade unions haven't grown in all types of industries. The only industries that have seen growth of trade unions are in the area of plantations, coal mines, food, textiles, printing press, chemicals, utility services, transport, communications and commerce. Furthermore, trade union activities are limited to large scale industry sector and manual labour, and trade unions are unevenly distributed in different states. Trade unions don't exist for a variety of small-scale businesses.

Small size of unions:

The sizes of trade unions haven't been sufficient enough to have adequate funds and provide legal help to members. The sizes of trade unions in India have been increasing since 1930-31, but the overall membership size has been decreasing recently. Various factors

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contribute toward the small size of trade unions; the average size of a trade union in India is about 800. Furthermore, the percentage of women members is only 6-8%. This small size of trade unions weakens their collective bargaining power, and makes legal help inaccessible.

Financial Weakness:

Workers don't adequately contribute toward to their trade union membership fees, except when necessary. Many workers feel the services of their trade unions are not worth paying for. The lack of necessary funds prevent trade unions from offering support for welfare activities for labour, support strikes, and hire paid staff. One reason for financial weakness in trade unions is due to the presence of rival trade unions.

Multiplicity of Trade Unions and rivalries:

Multiple trade unions are a necessary evil. Powerful political parties have established their own trade unions with the intention of spreading their political power. This causes an inadequate and unhealthy growth of trade unions. Most trade unions have developed inter-union rivalries and groups that are in constant competition against each other. Members' energy has been wasted on deconstructive activities, and unions have become more political.

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Leadership issues:

Some unions are managed by the educated class: doctors, lawyers, politicians, etc., who has no experience or work history with the corresponding union. This type of foreign leadership creates barriers between lower-end workers and upper management, and is disadvantageous to the proper development and management of the union. Leadership of a union must only arise from within the labour class.

Political involvement in unions:

Most unions today are run by rival political parties. These political parties have nothing constructive to offer, instead, use unions to spread their political agenda. Furthermore, decisions related to unions are made by politicians. For example, the Indian National Congress as formed the Swadeshi Movement, the Khilafat Movement, the Civil Disobedience Movement, and the Noncorporation movement.

Problems with recognition of trade unions:

The process that leads to recognition of unions is a lengthy one. In the initial stages, union recognition is very difficult, and even discourage. There is a long list of criteria that a union must meet in order to become certified and recognized by the industry.

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CASE STUDY

Great Bombay Textile Strike

The Great Bombay Textile Strike was a textile strike called on 18 January 1982 by the mill workers of Bombay (currently Mumbai) under trade union leader Dutta Samant. The purpose of the strike was to obtain bonus and wage increases. Nearly 250,000 workers and more than 50 textile mills went on strike in Bombay.

History of Mills in Bombay

Built in 1887, Swadeshi was Bombay's first textile mill, the first of the factories that spread over Girangaon, popularly nicknamed as Bombay's "village of mills", in the next decades. By 1982, when Datta Samant led the textile strike, over 240,000 people worked in Girangaon.[2]

Protests

In late 1981, Dutta Samant was chosen by a large group of Bombay mill workers to lead them in a precarious conflict between the Bombay Millowners

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Association and the unions, thus rejecting the INTUC-affiliated Rashtriya Mill Mazdoor Sangh which had represented the mill workers for decades. Samant planned a massive strike forcing the entire industry of the city to be shut down for over a year. It was estimated that nearly 250,000 workers went on strike and more than 50 textile mills were shut in Bombay. In August 1982, the city police briefly went on strike, apparently in sympathy with the workers resulting into the army and Border Security Force to be called in to control the unrest. Samant demanded that, along with wage hikes, the government scrap the Bombay Industrial Act of 1947 and that the RMMS would no longer be the only official union of the city industry. While fighting for greater pay and better conditions for workers, Samant and his allies also sought to capitalize and establish their power on the trade union scene in Mumbai. Although Samant had links with the Congress and Maharashtra politician Abdul Rehman Antulay, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi considered him a serious political threat. Samant's control of the mill workers made Gandhi and other Congress leaders fear that his influence would spread to the port and dock workers and make him the most powerful union leader in India's commercial capital. Thus the government took a firm stance of rejecting Samant's demands and refusing to budge despite the severe economic losses suffered by the city and the industry. As the strike progressed through the months, Samant's militancy in the face of government obstinacy led to the failure of

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any attempts at negotiation. Disunity and dissatisfaction over the strike soon became apparent, and many textile mill owners began moving their plants outside the city. After a prolonged and destabilizing confrontation, the strike collapsed with no concessions having been obtained for the workers. The closure of textile mills across the city left tens of thousands of mill workers unemployed and, in the succeeding years, most of the industry moved away from Bombay after decades of being plagued by rising costs and union militancy. Although Samant remained popular with a large block of union activists, his clout and control over Bombay trade unions disappeared.

Consequences

The majority of the over 80 mills in Central Mumbai closed during and after the strike, leaving more than 150,000 workers unemployed. Textile industry in Mumbai has largely disappeared, reducing labour migration after the strikes.

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Career Planning and Development

Learning Objectives Understand the importance of career planning and

development. Identify the responsibility for career planning and

development. Discuss the HR department’s role in career planning

and development. Discuss some of the major factors contributing to

successful career development.

Importance of career planning and development

Until recently, employees could join an organisation fully expecting to stay with it for their entire career. Now, life-long careers are a thing of the past. Some naive employees still feel that they are immune to the ongoing reductions because they are doing good work and adding value to the organisation. However, increasing competition, rapid technological change, relentless restructuring and downsizing mean that high performance no longer protects employees from dismissal. People increasingly will move from opportunity to opportunity without regard for traditional job

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boundaries. Some experts predict that soon full-time careers will no longer be the norm.

Realistic career planning forces employees to be proactive and to anticipate problems and opportunities. It does this by making them establish and examine their career objectives. Career planning and development involves two processes — career planning (employee centre) and career management (organization centre). Career management is integral to HR planning, but HR planning and/or career management do not exist or are not integrated in some organizations.

Ideally, career planning and development should be seen as a process that aligns the interests and skills of employees with the needs of the organization. This means that careers must be managed strategically so the skills demanded by the organization’s strategic business objectives are understood and a work force with a matching profile of skills is developed. Career planning and development play a major part in ensuring that the organization has a competitive and knowledgeable work force.

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HR planning and career planning and developmentEmployees and organizations are paying more attention to career planning and development because:

employees are increasingly concerned about their quality of life

there are EEO legislation and AA pressures educational levels and employee aspirations are

rising workers are making the transition from vertical

careers to lateral careers Organizations have an increasing sense of obligation

to employees. ‘The most valuable thing that a business can give its members,’ says Handy, ‘is no longer employment but employability, the security of a saleable skill.’

A shortage of skilled workers is producing a global talent war.

Employee’s responsibilityEvery employee should be concerned about his or her own career planning and development. Unfortunately, many employees ignore this responsibility, preferring to leave it to the organization. By adopting such a passive stance, employees give up control of their career, limit their future employability and reduce their chances of achieving their career goals.

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Although some organizations provide in-house career planning and development, this is often geared to the organization’s needs and not those of the individual employee. Individual career planning means that the employee must critically examine his or her personal and vocational interests, personal and career goals and present skill and ability levels.

HR department’s responsibilityProactive HR managers recognize the importance of career planning and development in satisfying individual and organizational needs. If the HR department is fully aware of the organization’s future HR needs, career chances and training and development opportunities, then it is well placed to promote career planning among employees.

Performance - Employees who perform badly are rarely considered for training and development opportunities, international assignments or promotion.

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Exposure - If an employee is to succeed, he or she must become known to senior management. Employees can become known to the organisation’s decision makers through superior performance, report writing, presentations, and involvement in company training and development programs and social activities.

Qualifications - US research indicates that a strong correlation exists between graduate earnings and the quality of the university they attended.

Employer reputation - Some organisations have a ‘star’ reputation as breeding grounds for high-potential employees. Consequently, getting a job with the right company can be an important factor in career success and long-term employability.

Nepotism - Thirty per cent of publicly listed companies in Hong Kong have boards of directors on which half or more of the executive directors are related as family members.

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Mentor - Successful managers usually have a mentor or sponsor who helps advance their career by offering advice, giving instruction and opening up career opportunities.

Benefits of mentoring

The protégé, by developing more skills and self-confidence, performs better and provides longer service to the organization.

Mentoring, by identifying talent, helps companies encourage and capitalize on diversity.

Mentoring provides a structure for the growth and development of all employees.

Mentoring helps inculcate corporate values. Mentoring improves employee job satisfaction and

motivation. Mentors can buffer women from discrimination and

help them overcome gender-related barriers to advancement.

Unfortunately women and minorities often find themselves excluded from mentoring relationships. This is because mentoring is frequently based on personal relationships built up outside working hours.

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Ingratiation - Ingratiation may be an effective career strategy, especially when associated with competence.

Development - Ongoing expansion of skills and knowledge makes an employee more valuable and, therefore, more attractive to the organization.

International experience - International experience is increasingly a key to career success (particularly for those aspiring to top management).

Language skills - The internationalization of business and the development of global business centers demand that fast-track managers possess not only good English skills but competency in a second (or third) language.

Computer and Keyboard skills - To have a competitive advantage, computer literacy is a must. High skilled employees must be “technology capable”.

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Networking - It is extremely important for an employee to build a network of contacts that are likely to be useful to his or her career development.

Goal setting - ‘successful career planners are self motivated, self starters who are hard working, and most important of all, goal directed. They have established what goals they want to achieve and how to go about it’.

Financial Planning Skills - Today savvy employees know there are no lifelong employment guarantees.

Golf - Golf is at the centre of business, especially in Asia where most major business deals are concluded on the golf course. The golf course is now called the boardroom of the new millennium because business discussions that start on the golf course often end up in the boardroom.

Appearance - There is ample evidence to indicate that appearance plays an important role in compensation and career success.

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1. Why should the HR manager be concerned about career planning?

Pro-active HR managers recognize the importance of career planning and development in satisfying individual and organizational needs. If the HR department is fully aware of the organization’s future human resource needs, career chances, and training and development opportunities, then it is well placed to promote career planning among employees. The HR department can do this by providing career education information, vocational guidance, and career counseling information, on job opportunities and career options and by publicizing training and development programs. By supporting career planning and development, the HR manager can realize a number of benefits for her or his organization.

2. Why must individual employees manage their own careers?

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Every employee should be concerned about his or her own career planning and development. Unfortunately, most ignore this responsibility, preferring to leave it to the organization. By adopting such a passive attitude, employees give up control of their career and reduce their chances of achieving their career goals. In contrast, pro-active employees continually ask questions such as:

What do I really want to do? What do I know how to do? What career opportunities can I expect to be

available? Where do I want to go? What do I need to do to get there? How can I tell how well I am doing? How can I get out of the box I am in?

The ultimate responsibility for developing an action plan to achieve a particular career objective is the employee's. Career planning and development requires a conscious effort on the part of the employee ; it does not happen automatically. Effective career planning depends on the joint efforts of the employee, her or his manager and the HR department.

3. Is the concept of career planning and development realistic in today’s rapidly changing environment?

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Yes, it is. Until recently, employees could join an organization fully expecting to stay with it for their entire career. Times have changed. Life long careers are a thing of the past. Says one employee "You see all these reductions going on around you. But if you are doing good work and adding value to the organization you somehow feel that you are immune". Not true. Increasing competition, rapid technological change and relentless restructuring mean performance is no longer a defense. Employees are now on their own. The paternalistic model of long term employment is dead and buried. In the pursuit of world best practice, the workforce must be highly skilled motivated and prepared to undertake retraining, and change jobs. Part time work will become more important. Some experts in fact predict by the turn of the century that full time careers will no longer be the norm. Employees must begin to think of their careers as a sequence of jobs that may or may not be in the same organization. Employees today must look out for themselves because the future is no longer guaranteed. Education in these circumstances he says becomes an investment and varied experience an asset. The critical issue in educating young people is teaching them how to learn and acquire skills; it is not to teach them an immutable platform of occupational skills to last a lifetime. As events around us are showing, young people today must increasingly learn how to cope with discontinuities and change, drawing on their own

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talents and self esteem rather more than upon a conception of themselves derived from relatively stable and unchanging jobs. This ever-changing work environment means employees are vulnerable to career disruption or stagnation and therefore makes career planning critical.

4. Discuss the impact that career planning and development policies and practices may have on commitment, competence, cost effectiveness, congruence, adaptability, performance, job satisfaction and employee motivation.

Career planning and development thus involves two processes - career planning (employee centre) and career management (organization centre). Employee benefits include better self understanding and identification of desired career goals while organization benefits include the communication of career opportunities to employees and obtaining a better match between employee career aspirations and organizational opportunities. Outcomes like congruence and adaptability therefore are dependent upon a balance of and match between career planning and career management.

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CASE STUDY

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