Ms-24 Question bank (12)
Ms-24 Question bank
Ms-24 june 2011
Written by sales@mbaonlinepapers.com sales@mbaonlinepapers.comMS-24 june 2011
MS-24 : EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS
1. Discuss the current development in industrial relations in India. Describe the influence of theories and models on industrial relations practices.
2. Identify the factors responsible for the formation of white - collar managerial unions. Briefly trace the evolution of managerial unions in India.
3. Define collective bargaining. Examine the unique features of collective bargaining in Indian context with illustration.
4. Identify the factors responsible for the failure of participative schemes in India. Discuss the strategies for making participative forums effective.
5. Define discipline. Explain the process of disciplinary action and its advantages and disadvantages.
6. Read the case given below and answer the questions given at the end,
XYZ Corporation is a State Government enterprise in which a strike occurred in the recent past at the middle management level, causing a loss of Rs. 100 crores.
This Corporation is an engineering industry and has three categories of employees :
(1) deputationists from the Central and State Governments,
(2) its own recruited officers, staff and men; and
(3 ) officers and staff who had opted from the Government to the Corporation' s service.
The middle management whose strength is about 1500, includes people who have reached the highest executive rank, but are not members of the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors and Secretaries of the Corporation are on deputation from the Central and State Governments. Some of them are experienced veterans of proven integrity and managerial skills.
The workforce and staff consists of supervisors and men, who have separate unions. The unions had many factions and were agitating quite frequently. the top management was generally employing the middle management to quell strikes by the workers and staff. In most cases, the demands of the workers were accepted.
The workers and supervisory staff had thus been able to improve their service conditions through agitational means. Before the strike, the middle management had been complaining about job - stagnation, absence of service rules, untimely action in FB cases, and unequal treatment meted out to it by the top management. It wanted a revision of the
pay-scales and introduction of time bound pay-scales. By this time, the deputationists at the middle management level were asked to opt for service in the industry or lose their jobs. There were serious apprehensions in the minds of the middle management people about getting perks and retirement benefits at the same rate as their parent departments. They held several meetings and people at all levels of the hierarchy stood together. The top management issued a circular saying that the misgivings were unfounded, and that the industry was quite capable of giving perks and retirement benefits at the same rate as their parent departments. This circular was issued in the same manner as other circulars.
Three months prior to the strike by the middle management, a union of workers went on
strike. The middle management was directed to have the strike called off but it acted half-heartedly. The top management was getting the feedback on the situation from the Corporation's channels and other independent services. The middle management, however, passed on very little information. The MIS was of routine nature, and it only described how functioning had been affected, and the strength that reported for duty.
The middle management was itself to some extent, responsible for the strike and it stood by the workers.
After this strike was called off, there were a number of demonstrations by the middle management people. A union had already been formed and it was recognized by the Board of Directors. The following demands were put up :
(1) DA to be granted to people getting pay above Rs. 900 basic,
(2) Time bound pay-scales to be allowed,
(3) DA to be equal to that given to the deputationists,
(4) For those not getting residential accommodation, rent above 10'%t, should be
subsidized,
(5) Withdrawal of pre- audit checking on purchases,
(6) The middle management people should have promotion avenues up to the Board level, and
(7) Timely disposal of disciplinary cases.
The middle management complained that there was stagnation, and that promotion avenues were blocked. - Ihey said, for instance, "that an engineer entering the Corporation would cross the first step only after fifteen years and the second after twenty. There were five steps to the highest executive rank (not in the Board of Directors). hence there was no chance for an entrant to reach the highest level in his lifetime or to get pay advance equivalent to that at the higher echelons." About two months prior to the strike the Chairman went on leave for a month and a deputationist in the Board was appointed to officiate in his place. During this month the agitation mounted.
The Board of Directors appointed a Pay Commission, but it was boycotted by the middle
management. The information system of the Board conveyed information about discontent but it did not foresee the strike which later paralyzed the Corporation. The Board of Directors got in touch with the Army authorities, and were assured that personnel would be provided to man the works, so that functioning was not disrupted. An impasse started developing at about this time between the middle management and the Board OF DIRECTORS
Questions :
(a) What is the main problem in the present case ?
(b) Analyze the basic causes which led to the problem.
(c) How would you deal with such a situation ?
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 ?
