He has done it again, Arvind Shrouti has one more unusual labour agreement to his credit. Trust Arvind to spring surprises. Pleasant surprises, I mean.

I first met Arvind in the office of HMS. They had a research wing and Arvind as well as Vasanti worked there on various projects. Much later Arvind and Vasanti decided to settle down in Pune; Chinchwad to be precise.

The transformation of Thermax Union was the first big splash he created. I have written about it elsewhere. Then came Bosch Union. Then came many others, there are dozens of big and small transformation stories. Arvind has been advising more than one hundred unions in Pune region. Oh, yes and the ASAL [Automotive Stampings & Assemblies Ltd.] story is unique. In the video posted below, he speaks about it. [You can also read my blog post on it here].

Each transformation is a different story, there is nothing common, except the principles on which he works. These are principles of creating trust, and adopting a very responsible behaviour. And one more point everything is done proactively. Building relations proactively is a huge leap forward in one’s development, and many managers too are often found wanting in this department.

The ASAL story is unique because Arvind adopted his path breaking approach to the labour settlement at their Bhosari plant. It had salutary effect on the culture. So the BMS union at Chakan adopted the same approach. Students of Industrial Relations will note that in both the cases, unions led the wage revision proactively. This is such a welcome change from the past where wage negotiations meant violence and threats. It is also unique in that it is led by unions and not managements.

The story of Robertshaw Controls P Ltd., Pune is equally innovative, though it may seem less dramatic. I have posted a video of this too.

Watch both the videos. Will this usher in change? You take the call.

Vivek S Patwardhan