Ms-24 Question bank (11)
Ms-24 Question bank
Ms-24 dec 2007
Written by sales@mbaonlinepapers.com sales@mbaonlinepapers.comMS-24 dec-2007
MS-24 : EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS
l. What is industrial relations ? Discuss the Marxist and the Gandhian approach to industrial relations.
2- Outline the origin and growth of employers' organizations in India. State the first NCL's observations on the employers' organisations.
3. Discuss the rationale for workers' participation in management with illustration. What are the issues involved in participative forums ?
4.Define and describe 'Grievance' Briefly discuss approaches to Grievance Resolution.
5. Write short notes on any three of the following :
(a) Strategies in negotiation
(b) Productivity bargaining
(c) Red Hot Stove Rule
(d) Power and Authority
(e) Generic characteristics of large non-union firms
6. Read the following case and answer the questions given at the end.
The Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation has been providing passenger transportation facilities since 1956. It has been extending its operation from one region to another. by nationalising the private passenger transport companies in a phased manner. Presently it is operating its services in 80% of the routes in the State. It nationalised two routes in East Godavari District in the State in October, 1988. Normally it absorbs all the employees working in passenger transport companies be{ore nationalisation and fixes their wages at par with the scales of similar categories of jobs.
The pay scales in the corporation are determined on\ the basis of mutual agreement between the management and the recolnised trade union. The scales are revised once in three years. The recent agreement .came into force with effect from September, 1988. There are two classes in the drivers' category, i.e., Class I (drivers working on long distance buses) and Class II (drivers working on short distance routes). The pay scale of Class II drivers is enhanced from Rs. 600 - 1200 to Rs. 900 - 1600 (with effect from September, 1988) in' consequence to the latest agreement. The agreement further says that the pay scales of the drivers drawing the scale of Rs. 600 - 1200 will be fixed in the scale of Rs. 900 - 1600.
The corporation absorbed 10 drivers who were with the private passenger transport companies upon the recent nationalisation of two routes. The personnel department fixed the scale of these 10 drivers in the scale of Rs. 600 - 7200 and it rejected their plea of fixing their pay in the scale of Rs. 900 - 1600 saying that only thedrivers drawing the scale of Rs. 600 - 7200 are now eligible to draw the new scale of Rs. 900 - 1600. The corporation has set up both the grievance machinery and the collective bargaining machinery to resolve employee problems. Then these drivers tub-ittnd this issue to the foreman who is their immediate superior. The foreman told them to raise this issue in collective bargaining with the help of trade union leaders as it is a policy issue. These drivers approached the trade 'union leaders and persuaded them to solve the issue. The trade union leaders included this item in the draft agenda to the collective bargaining committee to be held in January, 1989. But the collective bargaining committee deleted this item from the draft agenda saying that this issue can be settled through grievance machinery as only 10 drivers out of 3,000 drivers of the corporation are concerned with this issue.
Questions :
(a) What are the core-issues in the case ?
(bl Who is correct - the personnel department or the foreman or the collective bargaining committee ?
(c) How would you redress this grievance if you were the C.E.O. of the organisation ?
Ms-24 dec 2008
Written by sales@mbaonlinepapers.com sales@mbaonlinepapers.comMS-24 dec-2008
MS-24 : EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS
1. Present a brief account of industrial relations (IR) in India. Discuss the current developments in IR.
2. Explain how internal affairs of the union are managed. Outline the factors responsible for persistence of outside leadership in the unions in India.
3. Explain the concept of collective bargaining (CB) and discuss the emerging issues of CB in India.
4. Describe different approaches to. Grievance resolutions. Discuss the recommendation of National Commission on labour for effective grievance procedure.
5. Write short notes on anY three of the following :
(a) Arbitration.
(b) Activities of managerial associations.
(c) Red hot stove rule.
(d) Craft union.
(e) Misconduct
6. Read the case carefully and answer the questions given at the end.
V. J. Textiles is a leading industry having a workforce of more than 1200 employees, engaged in the manufacture of cotton yarn of different counts. The company has a well-established distribution network in different parts of the country. It has modernised all its plants, with a view to imProve the productivity and maintain quality. To maintain good human relations in the plants and the organisation as a whole, it has extended all possible facilities to the employees. Compared to other mills, the employees of V. J. Industries are enjoying higher wages and other benefits. The company has a Chief Executive, followed by Executives in-charge of different functional areas. The Industrial Relations Department is headed by the Industrial Relations Manager. The employees are represented by five trade unions - A,B, C,D and E (unions are alphabetically presented based on membership) - out of which the top three unions are recognised by the management for purposes of negotiations. All the unions have maintained good relations with the management individually and collectively.
For the past ten years, the company has been distributing bonus to the workers at rates more than the statutory minimum prescribed under the Bonus Act. Last year, for declaration of rate of bonus, the management had a series of discussions with all recognized unions and finally announced a bonus, which was in turn agreed upon by all the recognized unions. The very next day when the management prepared the settlement and presented it before the union representatives, while Unions A and C signed the same, the leader of Union B refused to do so and walked out, stating that the rate of bonus declared was not sufficient. The next day, Union B issued a strike notice to the management asking for higher bonus. The
management tried its level best to avoid the unpleasent situation, but in vain. As a result, the members of Union B went on strike. They were joined by the members of Union D. During the strike, the management could probe the reason for the deviant behaviour of Union B leader; it was found that leader of Union A" soon after the first meeting, had stated in the presence of a group of workers, " It is because of me that the management has agreed to declare this much amount of bonus to the employees; Union B has miserably failed in its talks with the management for want of initiative and involvement". This observation somehow reached the leader of Union B as a result of which he felt insulted, Soon after identifying the reason for
Union B's strike call, the Industrial Relations Manager brought about a compromise
between the leaders of Unions A and B. Immediately after this meeting the strikers
(members of Unions B and D) resumed work and the settlement was signed for the same rate of bonus as was originally agreed upon.
Questions:
(a) Was the leader of Union A justified in making remarks which made the leader of Union B feel offended ?
(b) What should be management's long -term strategy for avoiding recurrence of inter-union differences on such issues ?
(c) If you were the Industrial Relations Manager what would you have done had the Union B resorted to strike for a reason other than that mentioned in the case ?
Ms-24 dec 2009
Written by sales@mbaonlinepapers.com sales@mbaonlinepapers.comMS-24 dec-2009
MS-24 : EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS
1. Explain the new perspectives of 1990s and 20 implications of post-modernism for employment relations citing suitable examples.
2. What are the skills and traits required for negotiating team and briefly discuss about process of long term settlement ?
3. Briefly discuss the factors responsible for the failure of participative schemes in India. Discuss the strategies for making participative forums effective.
4. Describe the issue of leadership in trade unions. Outline the new role of trade unions.
5. Write short notes on any three of the following :
a) Principles of industrial adjudication
b) Indiscipline : nature and causes
c) Impact of ILO on industrial relations
d) Gandhian approach to industrial relations
(e) Chamberlain's model of bargaining
6. There is one case study given in this section. Attend the same.
Mr. Nandkishore is a workman employed in the despatch department of a cement factory.
The factory is located in one of the towns of a politically sensitive state. It employs about 1,500 employees besides the managerial staff. The annual turnover of the company is around Rs. 150 crores and its capacity utilization is 75 per cent. The factory has three unions besides a Security Staff Association and a Management Association. For eight years, only one union has been recognized, on the basis of its "claim" that it has the largest following of workmen. Continued recognition of a single union led to strained
relations between the two unrecognized unions and the Management, and also among the unions themselves.
Mr. Nandkishore is an office bearer of one of the unrecognized unions. The industrial
relations situation in the factory has been fluctuating from periods of harmony to periods
of disturbances. On December 10, 1988, Mr. Nandkishore fell down from the ladder, while working during the second shift. This accident resulted in serious injury to his right arm. He was admitted in a Government hospital for treatment. An accident report was sent to the Commissioner under Workmen's Compensation Act, to determine the amount of compensation, if any, to be paid to Mr. Nandkishore for the loss of any earning capacity. Meanwhile, the union in which he is an office bearer requested the Management to pay a sum of Rs. 5,000 as advance to the injured workman for covering medical expenses. It also stated that the above amount may be deducted from the compensation which Mr. Nandkishore may get, according to the Commissioner's decision. The Management paid Rs. 3,000 as advance, after obtaining a written undertaking from the union that this amount will be deducted from the compensation payable. The union also agreed to this condition. It also arranged for the release of Rs.2,000 from the Labour Welfare Fund. The Medical Officer treating the workman submitted a report in February, 1989. The Medical Report did not mention any kind of disablement (Full/Partial, Temporary/Permanent) to the workman. The Commissioner, after processing the case and studying the report, ruled that the workman, Mr. Nandkishore shall be paid only half-monthly wages for these two months against his request for compensation as there was no
permanent or partial disablement. On receipt of this report from the Commissioner , the Management asked the workman to repay Rs. 3,000 given as an advance and requested the union to do the needful in this regard. The union, however, contended that since the accident occurred during and in the course of employment, the Management must treat it as ex-gratia payment and that it should not demand its repayment as the money was used for treatment. The Management, however, pointed out that at the time of taking advance, both the union and workman had agreed that this amount will be recovered from the compensation payable and since no compensation is payable, the workman should pay back the advance. The Management, further pointed out that it cannot waive the recovery of the above advance as it is bound by the rules. The union however insisted that Management should not proceed on the recovery of advance from the workman. The Management also heard rumours that the said union may stage a “show down” over this issue.
Questions :
a) What is the problem in the case ?
b) Analyse the causes which led to the problem.
c) How should one deal with such a situation ?
d) Discuss the Act under which this case can be dealt.
