Page 117 - DMGT516_LABOUR_LEGISLATIONS

Labour Legislations

Notes was possible to have one to one meeting across the table, he can persuade his full Committee
to come for the meeting.

Having reached this stage I persuaded the Management to allow me to share openly with
the President the balance sheet and let him understand and appreciate the actual Financial
condition of the Company and the implications that if this VRS is made to fail, the Company
will be in deep financial problem, which could even lead to closure. Fortunately the
Management allowed me to share this with the President and I taking full advantage of
the situation convinced the President that if the Company succeeds in implementing VRS
as they want only 400 persons to be separated with handsome amounts otherwise, a little
latter if the Company goes for closure more than 1000 employees would come on the
road, therefore, he and his other Union chaps have to decide which is a better option. In the
mean time I had been getting a filler that most of the employees whose names were short
listed were ready to accept VRS but were not coming forward due to the pressure and fear
of the Worker's Union.

I succeeded in persuading the President at least not to oppose the Management's move to
approach the workers to accept the VRS and also persuaded his other associates not to
oppose it.
At this stage I organized a Union-Management meeting at the Administrative Block of the
Factory and for the first time in the history of the A Company, the representatives of the
Management and the representatives of the Worker's Union sat across each other on the
same table for discussion and every body shared the same refreshments and tea in the
similar utensils. Members from the Union side were quite amazed to get this treatment
and members from the Management side were quite surprised to see the nice behaviour of
the Union chaps. They could not believe that this was the same lot which was always using
abusive language towards them. Anyway the Meeting was held in a very cordial
atmosphere. Both the parties heard each other's view point with full attention and also
appreciated and endorsed the right views. Ultimately it was agreed that the Management
will make its move to approach the employees to accept VRS and those who agree to
accept it voluntarily, can accept it. The Union will still oppose it in principle and will be
free to organize "dharna" and "Pradarshan" outside the Factory's gate and will also organize
Gate Meetings to oppose the VRS but no Union Member will physically stop any worker
or otherwise influence such workers who are accepting VRS.
After this historical meeting, a general meeting of all workers was held, in which for the
first time workers were allowed to sit on the chairs due to my insistence before the
Management team. (Earlier the practice was that workers will sit on the durries on the
ground and Management team will sit on chairs). I explained the entire scheme to the
workers and the process to be followed for accepting it. The Union Members were sitting
at " Dharna " and holding a Gate Meeting at that time opposing the Management's move to
introduce the VRS but as promised in the meeting they did not disturb the meeting
physically.
The VRS was launched and workers started queuing up from the first day to apply for the
same. We even got a Bank's counter opened at the Factory's premise, so that such workers
who wanted to invest the amount with the Bank's schemes could do so simultaneously.
We even helped employees to get bank loan to start their own work if they wanted to.

Ultimately the target for the VRS was met and this led to Union's participation in
Management in the A Company.
It sounds like a bollywood movie's story, isn't it. But it is a fact that happened in my life.

By V. B. Lal

112 LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY