Ms-25 dec 2009
MS-25 Dec-2009
MS-25 : MANAGING CHANGE IN ORGANISATIONS
1. Can organisational change be brought about by changing organisational roles ? Can modified organisational roles increase individual's involvement and organisational effectiveness ? Explain with the help of various determinants of Role Efficacy.
2.What is Planned Change ? Briefly describe the interdependence between Organisation
Development, Action Research, and the intervention model. Explain with example.
3. Define group based approaches to change. Enumerate various group based approaches to change and discuss with examples Sensitivity Training and Team Building with suitable examples.
4.Describe Organisational Diagnosis. Briefly discuss the framework and key features of Open System Analysis model.
5. Write short notes an any three of the following :
a) Managing Resistance
b) Weisboard's Six Box Model
c) Need for indegenous management in
d) Developing Countries
e) Managing Transition
(f) Behaviour Modeling
6. Read the following case carefully and answer the questions given at the end.
XYZ Educational Trust, Bangalore, established XYZ Electronics Centre, in 1986, with assistance from a foreign donor. Electronics Centre was set up to train youngsters in electronics. Along with the Centre, a production shop to manufacture PCBs and a laboratory to develop projects on a commercial basis were also set up. The donor preferred XYZ Trust because of its excellent track record as a training institution in India. The Centre was fully funded by the donor. Ghosh, a B.Tech. from IIT, Madras, was designated as General Manager of the Centre. He was earlier Maintenance Manager in Tool Room Division run by the Trust. Ghosh developed excellent rapport with the donor.
Often, the Trust used to divert funds from the Centre to tide over cash flow problems. The donor expected to hand over the Centre to the Trust for running on a self-sufficiency basis from April, 1995. It was also contemplating on a further phase of cooperation. The donor even had plans to strengthen the Trust by providing funds and other inputs for which purpose a group of consultants was sent to study and recommend.
Findings of the consultants were not palatable to the Trust, nor was it in a mood to
implement the recommendations. In the meanwhile, the Trust decided to reorganise its
activities — retaining Centre under its fold and transferring production shop and laboratory to a newly floated limited company. These developments irritated the donor and his relationship with the Trust got soured. Trust also felt that Ghosh was more tilting towards the donor and was trying to bring in to the Centre a culture which was alien to the Trust. After splitting the activities, the Trust introduced certain changes in the Centre. One such change was to direct the Centre to report to Sethi, the Executive Director (Training) of the Trust, reversing the earlier practice of reporting to the MD.
Ghosh had joined the Trust six months after Sethi. He became GM, Electronics Centre much ahead of Sethi. However, Sethi overtook Ghosh and became Executive Director in 1994. Ghosh remained as GM of the Centre. Now Ghosh was required to report to Sethi. When Ghosh had gone abroad, organisational changes were effected. After returning from abroad, Ghosh learnt about the change, rushed to the MD and expressed his utter displeasure. He was persuaded by the MD to accept the change in the interest of
the organisation.
Sethi being an experienced administrator and knowing Ghosh's displeasure, kept distances in the management of the Centre. His intention was to wait till Ghosh reconciled and accepted the reality. Ghosh was deliberately avoiding Sethi and was not even answering phone calls.
Within a month's time, Ghosh put in his papers. The MD was very much annoyed by Ghosh's behaviour and also based on the lingering suspicion he had on Ghosh's loyalty to the Trust, he immediately relieved him without even waiting for the notice period.
Questions :
a) What prompted the 'changes' at XYZ Electronics Centre ?
b) What would have been your strategy to implement change at the Trust ?
(c) Suppose you are the new incumbent unit head at XYZ Electronics Centre, how would you restore morale and build trust of the employees ? Draw up a short term and long term O.D. Plan.
(d) Bring out the effect of credibility, loyalty and communication in XYZ Electronics Centre having reached its present status.
Ms-25 dec 2010
MS-25 Dec-2010
MS-25 : MANAGING CHANGE IN ORGANISATIONS
1. What is Total Quality Management (TQM) ? How TQM contributes in bringing change in organisations ? Explain with an example.
2. Describe the Process of Transformation bringing changes in organisations ?
3. Describe different methods of collecting data for evaluation and explain action research approach for evaluation.
4. Discuss how to leverage structure and systems for Managing Organisational Changes.
5. Write short notes on any three of the following :
a) Managing transition
b) Team building intervention
c) Turn around Management
d) Cultural change as a strategy
(e) Types of Resistance
6. Read the following case carefully and answer the questions given at the end :
Synergy Formulations (India) Limited was a public limited company and had been in
business of pharmaceuticals and drugs since 1988. The company set up its manufacturing plant at Ghaziabad near Delhi in 1988 having separate units for producing tablets, capsules and oral liquids. Under its expansion programs an ultra modern state of the art plant was commissioned at Meerut in U.P. The company had its corporate office at Lucknow and registered office at Delhi. Synergy Formulations was a premium pharmaceutical company which had a nation-wide distribution network. The company's
annual turnover in 1995 was Rs. 10 crores. In the last three years, Synergy had been able to increase its turnover from Rs. 10 crores to Rs. 35 crores. Till 1998 the company was organized into two groups; the generic and OTC (over the counter) grouped together and the ethical division which functioned independently. In 1998, the company decided to restructure its marketing organization into three separate and independent divisions in view of its phenomenal growth.
Synergy Formulation Limited in late 1997 reviewed its existing marketing organization
structure with the intention of bifurcating the OTC and generic division. The issue was debated at corporate level. While the field staff and majority of managers at corporate level were of the opinion that the present arrangements were adequate and other strategies could be used to ensure better performance, the MD and one to two percent of
the senior executives at corporate level were vehemently propagating the reorganization of marketing division. They felt that this would lead to better control of field staff, optimum utilization of marketing resources and the independent groups would function more effectively which in turn would improve the performance of the different divisions.
In spite of the prevailing divergent views the MD's decision was implemented and the marketing organization was reorganized into three divisions : generic products, the unbranded products which were sold in bulk to hospitals, bulk buyers and nursing homes; ethical products, the medicines which were sold to users on the prescription of doctors and OTC products, those branded products which could be sold without any doctor's prescription. Post Restructuring As a result of the restructuring exercise all the sales staff of generic divisions were shifted to OTC division. New zonal and regional managers were hired for generic division. The company decided to discontinue field staff in generic
division as it was felt that generic products were predominantly sold by the distribution channel and the role of field staff was limited, hence their absence would not affect the sales adversely. The company now maintained separate accounts for the different divisions to avoid conflicts. Soon after the reorganization of the marketing department
the corporate office noticed there were frequent clashes and disputes between the generic and OTC divisions. The causes for the conflicts could be ascribed to the following reasons :
• The distribution channel (Annexure 1) was common for all the three divisions due to which it was experienced that the OTC and generic were competing with each other for
orders from channel members who had limited monetary resources. The purchase from one division offer lead to a cut in purchase from the other division. It appeared that the divisions were growing at the cost of each other at distributors level. This fluctuating sales affected the incentives received by sales staff which was based on the volume of sales generated by an individual.
• The company as a policy matter did not supply products to distributors who had outstanding payments to the company, be it on the account of generic division or the OTC division. There was discontentment in the OTC division as they often found that supplies were not being made on orders received by them due to the outstanding of the generic division. This supply policy affected the performance of the OTC division and in turn, their incentives.
• When the field staff of generic divisions was transferred to OTC division, the marketing overheads of the generic division were reduced and to encash on this, the company decided to reduce the prices of the generic products. The generic division became extremely price competitive in the market. Inspite of the reduced prices generic division did not show a considerable positive rise as was expected. This fall in the performance of generic division was observed in the first quarterly review since the restructuring of the organization. The corporate executives of marketing felt concerned. The review showed that OTC division was flourishing and was in a position to double its sales in this period, but the generic division continued to show decline in sales. The generic division was
the largest contributor of the sales turnover of the company (Annexure II on page 8). Though the profit contribution of the generic division was less than OTC but the company could not afford loss of sales in the generic division any more. On discussion with the distributors it was realized that the absence of intermediaries between the distributors and their bulk customers was leading to loss of goodwill and customers. The channel members were of the opinion that the transfer of field staff had been counter-productive to the marketing effort and in the long-term interest of the company, field staff was an essential element of the supply chain though they were able to generate only 30% of the total sales in the generic division. They recommended the recruitment of field staff in generic division and that the status co-ante or achieved. The organization hired new junior field staff for the generic division in October, 1998. The recruitment of field staff led to the increase in the marketing overhead. Since the organisation used cost plus pricing, it was forced to increase its MRP. This increase in price affected the sales of generic product adversely as generic are extremely price sensitive. Synergy Formulation was now caught in a vicious circle. It neither could reduce prices nor discontinue the field staff in generic division.
Questions :
a) Identify the case issues in this case.
b) What in your opinion were the problems faced by Synergy generic division after its bifurcation from the OTC division ?
c) How do you propose to reduce the conflict between the two divisions.
d) Do you think restructuring the marketing organization was a wise decision ? Justify your answer.
Ms-25 dec 2011
MS-25 Dec-2011
MS-25 : MANAGING CHANGE IN ORGANISATIONS
1. Explain the rationale for using interventions in bringing change in an organisation. Describe any two types of interventions and their merits and demerits.
2. Discuss the impact of Cross-Cultural experiences on culture of the organisation. Explain how closing cultural gaps could be minimised in multicultural content.
3. What is Turnaround Management ? Describe various steps to be followed in turn around management and explain how turnaround management can take place in an organisational set up.
4. Discuss how a leader can initiate change process and can play the role of change agent as well cite relevant examples.
5. Write short notes on any three of -the following :
(a) Managing Transition
(b) Evaluation of organisational change
(c) Purpose of Merger and acquisition
(d) Process consultation
(e) WeisBord's Six Box Model
6. Read the following case carefully and answer the questions given at the end :
1991 ushered in a new era for Sea side, the mail order retailing agent. The billion rupees company was growing faster than ever before and was no longer the small, homegrown catalogue store. Located in South Kolkata, its five thousand employees reflected the local culture, as did its management practices and the philosophy of its founder and Chairman, Shantanu Das: "Take care of your people, take care of your customers, and the rest will take care of itself." In 1991, Mr. Das decided that the company needed to apply modern management principles to keep up with its growth in size and complexity.
The first step was to recruit a new executive vice-president from competitor Mountain View, Subodh Marwah, to lead the changes. Mr. Marwah quickly made numerous changes to modernise the management systems and processes, including team based management, numerous training programmes for trainees at all levels, a new multirater evaluation system in which managers were rated by peers and subordinates as well as their supervisors, and the use of numerous consultants to provide advice.
The company revised its old mission to provide excellent products and services and to turn every customer into a friend. In addition, the company created one new international venture and one new business each year, resulting in solid businesses in UK, Japan and Germany. Mr. Marwah was elevated to chief executive officer in 1993 and, continuing the modernisation, hired seven new vice-presidents, including Ankit Verma as new vice-president of human resource to oversee all of the changes in the employee arena. The first two years, the changes seemed to be working as the company added 100 million rupees in revenue and posted record profits. All was not as rosy as the profit picture seemed to show, however, In spite of the many programmes aimed at employee welfare, training, and team building, many employees complained of the constant pressure of having to meet production and sales quotas. The new employee
performance evaluation system resulted in numerical ratings, which seemed to depersonalize relationships. No matter how many pieces she monogrammed per day, one employee felt that her work was never appreciated. Other employees complained of too many meetings necessitated by the reorganisation and the cross functional teams. One team of catalogue artists, buyers, and copywriters needed numerous meetings each
week to coordinate their activities. A quality assurance manager complained that his work week had increased from forty hours to fifty-five hours and that the meetings were taking time away from doing his real job. Many employees complained that they did not need to go to training programmes to learn how to take care of customers and communicate when they had been doing that all along. The doubts grew until late 1994, when the board, led by Mr.Das decided that the new management was moving the company too far too fast and straying too far from the basic philosophies that made the company successful. On December 2, 1994, Mr. Das and the Vice-Chairman Nikhil Rao
asked for Mr. Marwah's resignation and fired Mr.Verma, citing the need to return to basics, and lack of confidence in the new direction of the company. Mr.Das then chose thirty four years old Vikash. Sen as chief executive offiCer to guide the return to basics. Mr. Sen, an eleven-year veteran of Sea Side (his entire working career), immediately started the about-face by dismantling most of the teams, reorganising the others, and returning to the basics of the top quality classic clothes and excellent customer service. Three other executives left the company shortly after Mr. Sen's appointment.
Shortly after his takeover, however, paper prices doubled, postal rates increased, and clothing demands dropped sharply. Third-quarter profits dropped by 60 per cent. As the year ended, overall profits were down to rupees 30.6 million on barely Rs. 1 billion in sales and Mr. Sen had to cancel one mailing to save money. Rather than cutting quality and laying off people, Mr. Sen spent even more on increasing quality and employee benefits, such as adoption assistance and mental health referrals. His philosophy was that
customers still demand quality products and that employees who feel squeezed by the company will not provide good customer service. Early results were positive, with first-quarter profits three times those of the year before. Critics of Mr. Sen's return to basics argue that the modernisation attempts were necessary to position the company for global competition and faster reaction to competition in several of its catalogue lines. Its return to growth occurred primarily in acquisition and new speciality catalogue lines and not in the main catalogue for which it was so famous. Mr. Sen has put further acquisition and global expansion on hold as he concentrates on the core businesses. Employees say that they have fewer meetings and more time to do their work.
QUESTIONS
(a) How would you characterise the two sets of changes made at Sea Side ? Which set of change is really modernisation ?
(b) How did the change processes differ from each other ?
(c) How do you think employees will view future attempts to change Sea Side ?
Ms-24 june 2007
MS-24 june 2007
MS-24 : EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS
1. Briefly discuss the levels and forms of WPM in India. Discuss the implementation of WPM in industry.
2. Describe registration and recognition of Trade Unions. Briefly discuss the methods of verification of union membership and state the advantages and disadvantages of these methods.
3. Discuss the various approaches to industrial relations and their.relevance.
4. Describe the concept and process of collective bargaining. Describe the emerging trends of collective bargaining, with few examples.
5. Write short notes on any threeof the following :
(a) Conflict vs. Cooperation
(b) Misconduct
(c) Lay-off
(d) Red Hot Stove Rule
(e) Structure of employers' organisations in India
6. Read the following case carefully and answer the questions given at the end.
ADJUSTMENT PROBLEM
Twenty female employees of a large company were grouped together daily in an area measuring forty feet by forty feet to perform semi-skilled assembly work. Though the layout was far from ideal, it was accepted as "livable" at least as temporary quarters until construction of the new manufacturing facility was compl eted, and these women enjoyed their work. Their pleasure came rnostly from the fact that they could talk fleely about any subject that came to mind and still be able to do their jobs. They worked elbow to elbow and rarely failed to assemble their daily quota. When the new manufacturing facility finally opened, the women were assigned to an 'area several times larger than their former quarters. The new plant was equipped with superior lighting, water fountains, windows and piped-in music. On the surface, these work conditions appeared ideal, no employee sat less than six feet away from any other. Management, however, became perplexed over the performance of this group of women after a few weeks in the new facility. Absenteeism increased, production lagged, complaints and grievances were numerous, and two of the women quit their jobs.
In a closed door confer ence with the Production Supervisor, the Plant Engineer and the Manufacturing Manager, the Personnel Director voiced his opinion about the unforeseen problems in the assembly department. In his opinion the women missed the personal contact with each other, missed the continuous conversation and other
accustomed forms of social interaction and basically were resisting the change to the new location. The Personnel Director recommended that the Plant Engineer should do
something about redesigning the layout to bring the women closer together even if it meant spending several thousand rupees to do it.
Questions :
(a) Analyse the problem in this case.
(b) If you were the Personnel Director how would you have dealt with the grievance of the workers ?
(c) If the employees were men, would the same situation have arisen ? Why or why not ?
Ms-24 june 2008
MS-24 june 2008
MS-24 : EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS
l. Outline the objectives of industrial relations. Briefly explain Dunlop's approach to industrial relations.
2. Briefly discuss the structure of Indian trade unions .
3. Briefly explain the evolution of managerial unions in India. Describe the factors influencing the formation of managerial unions in India.
4. Briefly explain the major perspectives that are dominating the industrial relations scenario since 1991
5- write short notes on any three of the following :
(a) Functions of employers' organisations
(b) Degrees and forms of participative management
(c) Collective Bargaining
(d) Importance of Integrity and Trust in employment relations
(e) Grievance redressal mechanisms
6. Read the following case and answer the questions given at the end.
In one state, the Chief Minister was invited to the annual conference of a union where union elections were also scheduled. The Chief Minister inaugurated the conference and observed as follows : "i propose that you elect Mr. XYZ as your president and the president in turn elect his team. " Before the members could understand the significance of what the Chief Minister had said there was a big round of applause from the audience presumably orchestrated by supporters of the Chief Minister's nominee for president ship of the union. Before anyone could say anything, quite a few queued up and began to garland Mr. XYZ. Mr. XYZ then rose and announced the names of his nomin ees. The elections concluded. Those who were elected were happy about the smooth and cordial manner in which the elections had been held. Referring to two cases in the recent past in neighbouring factories, they said, irr one the rival unions spent a lot of money in elections. From where had the money come. Would the ones who had spent so much money not want to recover it in one form or another ? Another elected person was talking about how management manipulated the elections to have a 'company'
union. Some of the people who had aspired to contest rvere dismayed but could not do much because of the atmosphere in which the whole thing had happened.
Questions
(a) Comment on the case and the divergent viewpoints/perceptions of those who won the elections without contesting and those who wanted to contest but could not.
(b) Discuss the problem of trade union democracy.
(c) What suggestions do you have to make trade unions truly for the members, of the members, and by the members ?
(d) What role, if any, should management have in the manner in which unions are administered ? Is there a justification for managements to intervene in the
internal matters of unions on the grounds that the internal dynamics of unions affect the functioning of the company wherein the unions operate.
Ms-24 june 2009
MS-24 june 2009 solutions from ignou university
MS-24 : EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS
Ms-24 june 2010
MS-24 june 2010
MS-24 : EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS
1. What is industrial relations ? Briefly discuss the Dunlop's approach to industrial relations.
2. Discuss the factors influencing the formation of managerial unions in India.
3. Outline the process and conditions for success of trends in collective bargaining.
4. State the issues involved in the participative forums in India.
5. Write short notes on any three of the following :
a) The "Red-Hot Stove" Rule.
b) Impact of ILO on industrial relations in India.
c) Powers and duties of conciliation officers.
d) Role of trade unions.
(e) Advantages of formal mechanism of grievance redressal.
6. Read the case carefully and answer the questions given at the end :
The Aristocrat Baggage Company's Suggestion Committee is meeting. The members
of the committee are listening to a report by the Secretary on the discussion that had taken place in the Company's Joint Consultative Committee meeting to which he was invited. One of the workers' representatives of the Joint Consultative Committee had brought up the case of the operator, Raman Gandhi, who three years before had put in a suggestion regarding the dispatch procedure which was turned down by the Suggestion Committee. Two years later a new Dispatch Manager was appointed. Apparently, a year after his appointment he introduced what virtually amounted to the idea suggested by Mr. Gandhi. Mr. Gandhi was furious when he heard about this and complained to the union leaders. He stated that his idea was stolen and that he will never give any new ideas under the suggestion scheme. "It is ramp" he announced. Some of his colleagues agreed with him. At the Joint Consultative Committee meeting, the Secretary had a somewhat tough
time during the heated discussion. Subsequently, as he discussed the matter with the new Dispatch Manager, the latter stated that "in any case the situation is different now. Gandhi's idea could not have been workable at that time". The Suggestion Committee discussed the matter, but failed to take any decision in this case.
Questions :
a) What is the problem in this case ?
b) Should it be mandatory for the Suggestion Committee to give reasons if it turns down any suggestion by a worker ?
c) How would you deal with the present situation ? What step would you take to avoid the recurrence of such a problem in future ?
d) How would you encourage the workers to participate in the suggestion scheme of the company ?
Ms-24 june 2011
MS-24 june 2011
MS-24 : EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS
1. Discuss the current development in industrial relations in India. Describe the influence of theories and models on industrial relations practices.
2. Identify the factors responsible for the formation of white - collar managerial unions. Briefly trace the evolution of managerial unions in India.
3. Define collective bargaining. Examine the unique features of collective bargaining in Indian context with illustration.
4. Identify the factors responsible for the failure of participative schemes in India. Discuss the strategies for making participative forums effective.
5. Define discipline. Explain the process of disciplinary action and its advantages and disadvantages.
6. Read the case given below and answer the questions given at the end,
XYZ Corporation is a State Government enterprise in which a strike occurred in the recent past at the middle management level, causing a loss of Rs. 100 crores.
This Corporation is an engineering industry and has three categories of employees :
(1) deputationists from the Central and State Governments,
(2) its own recruited officers, staff and men; and
(3 ) officers and staff who had opted from the Government to the Corporation' s service.
The middle management whose strength is about 1500, includes people who have reached the highest executive rank, but are not members of the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors and Secretaries of the Corporation are on deputation from the Central and State Governments. Some of them are experienced veterans of proven integrity and managerial skills.
The workforce and staff consists of supervisors and men, who have separate unions. The unions had many factions and were agitating quite frequently. the top management was generally employing the middle management to quell strikes by the workers and staff. In most cases, the demands of the workers were accepted.
The workers and supervisory staff had thus been able to improve their service conditions through agitational means. Before the strike, the middle management had been complaining about job - stagnation, absence of service rules, untimely action in FB cases, and unequal treatment meted out to it by the top management. It wanted a revision of the
pay-scales and introduction of time bound pay-scales. By this time, the deputationists at the middle management level were asked to opt for service in the industry or lose their jobs. There were serious apprehensions in the minds of the middle management people about getting perks and retirement benefits at the same rate as their parent departments. They held several meetings and people at all levels of the hierarchy stood together. The top management issued a circular saying that the misgivings were unfounded, and that the industry was quite capable of giving perks and retirement benefits at the same rate as their parent departments. This circular was issued in the same manner as other circulars.
Three months prior to the strike by the middle management, a union of workers went on
strike. The middle management was directed to have the strike called off but it acted half-heartedly. The top management was getting the feedback on the situation from the Corporation's channels and other independent services. The middle management, however, passed on very little information. The MIS was of routine nature, and it only described how functioning had been affected, and the strength that reported for duty.
The middle management was itself to some extent, responsible for the strike and it stood by the workers.
After this strike was called off, there were a number of demonstrations by the middle management people. A union had already been formed and it was recognized by the Board of Directors. The following demands were put up :
(1) DA to be granted to people getting pay above Rs. 900 basic,
(2) Time bound pay-scales to be allowed,
(3) DA to be equal to that given to the deputationists,
(4) For those not getting residential accommodation, rent above 10'%t, should be
subsidized,
(5) Withdrawal of pre- audit checking on purchases,
(6) The middle management people should have promotion avenues up to the Board level, and
(7) Timely disposal of disciplinary cases.
The middle management complained that there was stagnation, and that promotion avenues were blocked. - Ihey said, for instance, "that an engineer entering the Corporation would cross the first step only after fifteen years and the second after twenty. There were five steps to the highest executive rank (not in the Board of Directors). hence there was no chance for an entrant to reach the highest level in his lifetime or to get pay advance equivalent to that at the higher echelons." About two months prior to the strike the Chairman went on leave for a month and a deputationist in the Board was appointed to officiate in his place. During this month the agitation mounted.
The Board of Directors appointed a Pay Commission, but it was boycotted by the middle
management. The information system of the Board conveyed information about discontent but it did not foresee the strike which later paralyzed the Corporation. The Board of Directors got in touch with the Army authorities, and were assured that personnel would be provided to man the works, so that functioning was not disrupted. An impasse started developing at about this time between the middle management and the Board OF DIRECTORS
Questions :
(a) What is the main problem in the present case ?
(b) Analyze the basic causes which led to the problem.
(c) How would you deal with such a situation ?
Ms-24 dec 2007
MS-24 dec-2007
MS-24 : EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS
l. What is industrial relations ? Discuss the Marxist and the Gandhian approach to industrial relations.
2- Outline the origin and growth of employers' organizations in India. State the first NCL's observations on the employers' organisations.
3. Discuss the rationale for workers' participation in management with illustration. What are the issues involved in participative forums ?
4.Define and describe 'Grievance' Briefly discuss approaches to Grievance Resolution.
5. Write short notes on any three of the following :
(a) Strategies in negotiation
(b) Productivity bargaining
(c) Red Hot Stove Rule
(d) Power and Authority
(e) Generic characteristics of large non-union firms
6. Read the following case and answer the questions given at the end.
The Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation has been providing passenger transportation facilities since 1956. It has been extending its operation from one region to another. by nationalising the private passenger transport companies in a phased manner. Presently it is operating its services in 80% of the routes in the State. It nationalised two routes in East Godavari District in the State in October, 1988. Normally it absorbs all the employees working in passenger transport companies be{ore nationalisation and fixes their wages at par with the scales of similar categories of jobs.
The pay scales in the corporation are determined on\ the basis of mutual agreement between the management and the recolnised trade union. The scales are revised once in three years. The recent agreement .came into force with effect from September, 1988. There are two classes in the drivers' category, i.e., Class I (drivers working on long distance buses) and Class II (drivers working on short distance routes). The pay scale of Class II drivers is enhanced from Rs. 600 - 1200 to Rs. 900 - 1600 (with effect from September, 1988) in' consequence to the latest agreement. The agreement further says that the pay scales of the drivers drawing the scale of Rs. 600 - 1200 will be fixed in the scale of Rs. 900 - 1600.
The corporation absorbed 10 drivers who were with the private passenger transport companies upon the recent nationalisation of two routes. The personnel department fixed the scale of these 10 drivers in the scale of Rs. 600 - 7200 and it rejected their plea of fixing their pay in the scale of Rs. 900 - 1600 saying that only thedrivers drawing the scale of Rs. 600 - 7200 are now eligible to draw the new scale of Rs. 900 - 1600. The corporation has set up both the grievance machinery and the collective bargaining machinery to resolve employee problems. Then these drivers tub-ittnd this issue to the foreman who is their immediate superior. The foreman told them to raise this issue in collective bargaining with the help of trade union leaders as it is a policy issue. These drivers approached the trade 'union leaders and persuaded them to solve the issue. The trade union leaders included this item in the draft agenda to the collective bargaining committee to be held in January, 1989. But the collective bargaining committee deleted this item from the draft agenda saying that this issue can be settled through grievance machinery as only 10 drivers out of 3,000 drivers of the corporation are concerned with this issue.
Questions :
(a) What are the core-issues in the case ?
(bl Who is correct - the personnel department or the foreman or the collective bargaining committee ?
(c) How would you redress this grievance if you were the C.E.O. of the organisation ?
Ms-24 dec 2008
MS-24 dec-2008
MS-24 : EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS
1. Present a brief account of industrial relations (IR) in India. Discuss the current developments in IR.
2. Explain how internal affairs of the union are managed. Outline the factors responsible for persistence of outside leadership in the unions in India.
3. Explain the concept of collective bargaining (CB) and discuss the emerging issues of CB in India.
4. Describe different approaches to. Grievance resolutions. Discuss the recommendation of National Commission on labour for effective grievance procedure.
5. Write short notes on anY three of the following :
(a) Arbitration.
(b) Activities of managerial associations.
(c) Red hot stove rule.
(d) Craft union.
(e) Misconduct
6. Read the case carefully and answer the questions given at the end.
V. J. Textiles is a leading industry having a workforce of more than 1200 employees, engaged in the manufacture of cotton yarn of different counts. The company has a well-established distribution network in different parts of the country. It has modernised all its plants, with a view to imProve the productivity and maintain quality. To maintain good human relations in the plants and the organisation as a whole, it has extended all possible facilities to the employees. Compared to other mills, the employees of V. J. Industries are enjoying higher wages and other benefits. The company has a Chief Executive, followed by Executives in-charge of different functional areas. The Industrial Relations Department is headed by the Industrial Relations Manager. The employees are represented by five trade unions - A,B, C,D and E (unions are alphabetically presented based on membership) - out of which the top three unions are recognised by the management for purposes of negotiations. All the unions have maintained good relations with the management individually and collectively.
For the past ten years, the company has been distributing bonus to the workers at rates more than the statutory minimum prescribed under the Bonus Act. Last year, for declaration of rate of bonus, the management had a series of discussions with all recognized unions and finally announced a bonus, which was in turn agreed upon by all the recognized unions. The very next day when the management prepared the settlement and presented it before the union representatives, while Unions A and C signed the same, the leader of Union B refused to do so and walked out, stating that the rate of bonus declared was not sufficient. The next day, Union B issued a strike notice to the management asking for higher bonus. The
management tried its level best to avoid the unpleasent situation, but in vain. As a result, the members of Union B went on strike. They were joined by the members of Union D. During the strike, the management could probe the reason for the deviant behaviour of Union B leader; it was found that leader of Union A" soon after the first meeting, had stated in the presence of a group of workers, " It is because of me that the management has agreed to declare this much amount of bonus to the employees; Union B has miserably failed in its talks with the management for want of initiative and involvement". This observation somehow reached the leader of Union B as a result of which he felt insulted, Soon after identifying the reason for
Union B's strike call, the Industrial Relations Manager brought about a compromise
between the leaders of Unions A and B. Immediately after this meeting the strikers
(members of Unions B and D) resumed work and the settlement was signed for the same rate of bonus as was originally agreed upon.
Questions:
(a) Was the leader of Union A justified in making remarks which made the leader of Union B feel offended ?
(b) What should be management's long -term strategy for avoiding recurrence of inter-union differences on such issues ?
(c) If you were the Industrial Relations Manager what would you have done had the Union B resorted to strike for a reason other than that mentioned in the case ?
