Comments on: It’s Time Unions Did Soul Searching

By: Vivek Patwardhan

Vivek Patwardhan — Fri, 25 Sep 2015 19:10:23 +0000

Yes, Ajit ji. I agree. The Government has failed to implement labour law. Actually all laws. Just look at the number of two wheelers which go on the wrong side of the road with impunity or number of two wheelers which have three or four riders. The Governemnt is surely responsible for this mess. Your point is well taken.
But Unions and Managements [short sighted ones] have taken the problem to dizzy heights. Unions must share the blame because they almost all the time adopt 'protester's role. Unfortunately not many people are even willing to write about union's role in this mess up of contract labour issue. Hence this blog post.

By: Ajit Sawant

Ajit Sawant — Fri, 25 Sep 2015 18:15:13 +0000

The unions are responsible for today's situation in which contract labour is being exploited. In 80s unions to get share of pie for their members allowed to employ contract labour and in turn member workers enjoyed at d cost of contract labour. Today the situation has worsened to such an extent that all PSUs and even parliament n Manyralayas employ contract workers on large scale with no guarantee of minimum wages n social security benefits. However, I feel major role needs to be played by govt itself who claims to govern a welfare state n guarantee social justice to all. Hence there can't b any solution other than legal protection by enforcing acts strictly to ensure equal work, equal pay n Social Security as per directive principles of state policy.

By: Murali Aiyer

Murali Aiyer — Thu, 24 Sep 2015 17:25:49 +0000

Vivek, very insightful perspective on the Union's role in industry. Unions with strong external influences by design will have self interests at heart. Unscrupulous employers would also encourage this external influence as it provides them an easy alternative.
How can external influences into Unions be eliminated and internal unions trained on their roles deeper.
What processes can be put into place to ensure union and employer integrity ?

By: Muralidharan Natarajan

Muralidharan Natarajan — Thu, 24 Sep 2015 14:57:47 +0000

VSP, For someone like me, it was very informative and an eye-opener. Thanks. Rgds Muralidharan, Bangalore

By: Labour-India

Labour-India — Thu, 24 Sep 2015 05:51:02 +0000

enjoyed reading the honest hit on the section of trade union leaders and even permanent workers who directly or indirectly have been responsible for the growth of the contract labour system….the variable pay argument is the best example…there exists strong research evidence that trade union leaders have been acting as contractors ostensibly to control the labour supply and yet derive "rents"…it is true that contract labour magnitude could not have grown to the extent it did (which is not captured by official statistics). there is a serious hiatus between the ideological exercises at the macro level and the micro level practices, i call this "janus faced" nature of trade unions caught up between idealism and market driven pragmatism and now as you say selfishness…but the myopic and utter lack of professionalism on the part of the management and unimaginable absence of policy perspective on the part of the government cannot be brushed aside as you have observed here and there

By: arvind chittewale

arvind chittewale — Wed, 23 Sep 2015 13:57:49 +0000

Yes Vivek
The ratio is alarmingly more.
Last year I did a union committee's training of a large corporate ( committee had 2 corporators and one ex MLA)
When we asked them what their UNION means and thereafter used a visual simulation of what they really envision the union to do = the contrast was obvious.
It's time they change no doubt BUT the stories they share about the HR? IR? Are even more alarming.