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Unit 7: Industrial Relations

Notes
7.5.8 Women
7.5.9 Migration
7.5.10 Human Resource Management

7.5.11 Transition Economies
7.6 Summary
7.7 Keywords
7.8 Review Questions

7.9 Further Readings

Objectives
After studying this unit, you will be able to:

• Define the sound industrial relations system

• Explain the management practices
• Describe the importance and objectives of sound industrial relations
• Describe the SIRS at the national and industry level
• Describe the SIRS at the enterprise level
• Understand some current industrial relations issues

Introduction

The purpose of this unit is, first, to provide an overview of events (some of them external
to the industrial relations system) which have influenced, or are influencing the development
of industrial relations. Labour relations should be seen as an essential part of management
systems and techniques, and not as a discipline or activity apart from management. It then
seeks to explain what sound industrial relations and labour relations policy formulation are,
and thereafter to underline the importance and objectives of sound industrial relations in
the current – and to some extent in the future context. It next examines the role of various
systems and mechanisms at different levels (national/industry/enterprise) as well as their
contribution to promoting sound industrial relations. It also attempts to identify some of
the elements which may generally be regarded as features of a good industrial relations
system. It is not suggested that all these elements should co-exist in a system for it to qualify
as a sound one, but rather it is intended to point out available options which can help to
transform a conflictual system into a more cooperative one.

7.1 Management Practices

Changes in labour relations within an organization are often affected by management
practices. Therefore attitudes towards industrial relations should be understood in the
background of theories and practices relating to the management of enterprises and
organizational behaviour. It is useful to note two important and diametrically opposite
theories about management. The first and earlier theory is to be found in the scientific
management school which viewed the worker as a mere cog in the organizational structure.

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