Page 190 - DMGT516_LABOUR_LEGISLATIONS

Unit 7: Dispute Resolution and Industrial Harmony

7. Leave Notes
8. Medical benefits
9. Nature of job
10. Promotions
11. Payments
12. Safety environment
13. Superannuation
14. Transfers

15. Suppression
16. Victimization
The list is indicative and not comprehensive.

The apparent cause or sources of grievances may not always be the real ones. There is need
for deeper analysis of the policies, procedures, practices, structures and personality
dynamics in the organisation to arrive at the real causes of grievances.

Grievances stem from management policies and practices, particularly when they lack consistency,
uniformity, fair play and the desired level of flexibility. Grievances also may arise because of
intra-personal problems of individual employees and union practices aimed at reinforcing and
consolidating their bargaining strength.

Features

If we analyse this definition, some noticeable features emerge clearly:

1. A grievance refers to any form of discontent or dissatisfaction with any aspect of the
organisation.
2. The dissatisfaction must arise out of employment and not due to personal or family
problems.
3. The discontent can arise out of real or imaginary reasons. When the employee feels that
injustice has been done to him, he has a grievance. The reasons for such a feeling may be
valid or invalid, legitimate or irrational, justifiable or ridiculous.
4. The discontent may be voiced or unvoiced. But it must find expression in some form.
However, discontent per se is not a grievance. Initially, the employee may complain
orally or in writing. If this is not looked into promptly, the employee feels a sense of lack
of justice. Now the discontent grows and takes the shape of a grievance.
5. Broadly speaking, thus, a grievance is traceable to perceived non-fulfillment of one's
expectations from the organisation.

Forms of Grievance

A grievance may take any one of the following forms: (a) factual, (b) imaginary, (c) disguised.

1. Factual: A factual grievance arises when legitimate needs of employees remain unfulfilled,
e.g., wage-hike has been agreed but not implemented citing various reasons.
2. Imaginary: When an employee's dissatisfaction is not because of any valid reason but
because of a wrong perception, wrong attitude or wrong information he has. Such a

LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY 185