Industrial Relations Summit 2018

Role of Technology in Industry, Re-Skilling and related Employment scenario will be key concern areas in future : Ms Kalpana Rajsinghot, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Labour & Employment

Ms Kalpana Rajsinghot, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Labour & Employment while sharing her views at the CII Industrial Relations Summit held today in New Delhi spoke about the challenges that the industry will face in future and how it will impact the entire employment paradigm. She stressed on the need to re-skill the workforce to meet the challenges that shall emanate from new disruptive technologies. She also shared with the participants the view of the government in simplifying and combining the various labour acts into primarily four buckets. Simpler labour laws will go a long way in promoting Ease of Doing Business that will in turn have a positive impact on employment creation. 

Sharing his perspective, Mr Virjesh Upadhyay, All India General Secretary, Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh, stressed on the need for greater dialogue, trust, communication between employer and employee. Mr Upadhyay dwelt that stronger relation coupled with trust will reduce the need to reach out to the Government for adjudication. He emphasized that the relations are not built by laws but trust and personal touch. He then gave example of how a process initiated by government to get leading Industry players and Trade Unions to talk to each other, though did not have tangible outcomes but it led to trust building and reaching a position where in both the sides could understand and appreciate each other’s side of story. He also stressed that growth of employee is directly linked with growth of the company and it is critical for both to understand the same.  The militant nature of trade unionism has become a thing of past and he mentioned that both employers and employees should take advantage of the changed scenario to chalk out a growth path together. 

Mr S Y Siddiqui, Chief Mentor, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, initiating the Summit highlighted the five megatrends that are and will impact the way companies will run. These five megatrends were Global Business Uncertainty impacting business all across; Power of IT and impact of Social Media; Speed in decision making and in adapting becoming a critical factor; Digital Era- Artificial Intelligence etc; Change & Turbulence in all aspects of life.  Mr Siddiqui challenged the traditional methods of employee relations and highlighted the Engagement Model as the way to go forward. A transparent, honest, proactive model which is inclusive in its approach will have a positive impact in employee & employer relations.  He emphasized on the need for leadership to lead by example and also to take out time to communicate with all levels of employees in a structured manner. 

Mr D L Sharma, Chairman, CII NR Committee on HR & IR and Managing Director, Vardhman Threads & Yarns Ltd shared that how there has been a positive change in the outlook of management and workforce. Both now see each other as an important part of their growth story.  He also said that the shopfloor level leadership, line managers / supervisors have a direct bearing on the employee relations as they are the first point of conflict resolution. Giving example of textiles & apparel industry, Mr Sharma highlighted how critical it is for the employees to be skilled and reskilled on regular basis to meet the demands of the customer. In last couple of decades more and more MBA-HR students have opted for more glamorous Service Sector industry instead of the rigour of Industrial Relations in Manufacturing sector. 

The Summit brought together IR professionals, CEOs, Senior professionals from across the country to deliberate on issues such as Impact of Leadership on Employee Relations; Employee Engagement with Shopfloor Associates; Preventive Approach in Employee Relations : Listening through Grievance handling; Initiative on Labour reforms – win win strategy.