31-07-2012, 11:41 AM
Labour Relations Practices in Sugar Industry of Uttar Pradesh (INDIA)
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ABSTRACT
The present research paper reports on an exploratory study recently conducted on
labour relations practices in sugar mills of Uttar Pradesh. Through this study, the authors bring
out certain significant differences in the labour relations practices of public, private and
cooperative sector sugar mills of Uttar Pradesh. The findings show that there is a significant
difference between mills with respect to the labour relations practices. It shows that private
sector sugar mills of Uttar Pradesh have attained greater cooperation of workers as compared
to public and cooperative sector sugar mills of the state.
Introduction
Sugar industry is the most important industry in Uttar Pradesh as elsewhere in the
country. The last few decades have witnessed a salient industrial revolution in this part of the
country resulting in the transformation of predominantly agricultural economy into an important
industrial economy. Impressive progress has been made in the field of large, medium and smallscale
industries in Uttar Pradesh. The State continues to maintain a matching position among the
industrialized states of the country. There were only 14 sugar factories in Uttar Pradesh in 1932.
At present there are nearly 130 sugar mills in the state, each depending upon 150 to 400 villages
for its cane supply. On an average, the industry covers about 20,800 villages. But in recent years,
due to low productivity, most of the sugar mills of the State are running in losses and are unable
to maintain harmonious labour relations. It is against this backdrop that the present research
paper attempts to evaluate the labour management relations practices in Sugar Industry of Uttar
Pradesh.
Labour Relations: A Conceptual Exposition
Broadly speaking, the term labour relations is composed of two words ‘labour’ and
‘relations’. According to Marshall (1961), labour may be defined as ‘any exertion of mind or
body undergone partly or wholly with a view to some other than the pleasure derived from the
work, and relations mean, ‘the relationship between the employer and his employees that exists
at work place’. In the words of Cryster (1944), ‘ the term labour relations has come to mean that
part of general labour field which includes the procedure in collective agreements, the servicing
of grievance and the conciliation of disputes, between the employers and the employees, if at all
possible without cessation of work’. It deals with the scientific investigations of the social and
psychological inter-relations, establishing a direct relationship between the employer and
employee. Labour relations are primarily concerned with the union management relations,
techniques of negotiation, collective bargaining, evaluation of labour contracts, discipline, joint
consultation, arbitration, conciliation, adjudication and other allied legal matters, strikes and
lockouts, labour costs, employment and non-employment and other terms and conditions of
service such as wages, allowances, bonus, benefit plans, closure, retrenchment, working hours,
festival holidays and leave and security of service (Nath and Ghosh:1973).
Suggested Remedies
In fine, it may be summed up that the public and cooperative sector sugar mills of U.P.
have to take immediate effective measures to improve the level of satisfaction of employees,
which in turn would contribute to better labour relations. Sugar mill owners of all the sectors
should evolve and adopt a suitable and speedy Grievance Redressal Procedure for speedy
solution of the grievance of the workers. The mills should give recognition to a representative
union and should have pragmatic approach towards unions’ activities. The management of all the
Sugar mills should encourage joint consultation at different levels and consider collective
bargaining for resolving the differences between them. It should be made the normal rule that all
differences between labour and management, which cannot be resolved by collective bargaining,
should be settled by voluntary arbitration. Target oriented approach towards work should be
introduced. Participation of workers in major decisions should be developed.