I am using ‘Manesar’ as a convenient shorthand for a catastrophic breakdown in employee relations. What happened in that particularly tragic event is unknown to most of us. I am trying to tease out the generic lessons and causes of such breakdowns, not the unique events that triggered the violence there.
Manesar was not the first time we saw industrial disharmony degenerate into violence. In November 2010, an HR executive at Allied Nippon died after workers attacked him. In 2009, Pricol’s HR vice president was murdered in Coimbatore. In 2008, an Italian CEO was beaten to death. Such episodes indicate there are underlying causative factors, and that we have not eliminated them to any significant extent. Despite the so-called waking-up post Manesar, there is no apparent reason to believe such explosive situations will not recur.
There are four causes and four actors behind such unrest. Let me explain this with a modern parable.
On May 6, 1937, the hydrogen-filled Hindenburg airship burst into flames over Lakehurst, New Jersey. Subsequently, the more expensive and less efficient helium was mandated to fill airships. Let’s transpose this to our context and imagine that airships remain a key means of transport in India.
A revenue-hungry government, prompted by a lobby of hydrogen manufacturers, raised duties on helium so that airship operators had to switch to hydrogen to compete with other modes of transport. The safety authorities were ‘managed’. But the airship operators didn’t stop there. To reduce costs further they bought the cheapest hydrogen, with impurities that raised inflammability. Moreover, they didn’t have skilled operating and maintenance engineers, whose experience might have partly reduced the dangers of using hydrogen. The need for rapid turnarounds at docking ports also meant quicker—but riskier—procedures were forced through.
After several airship disasters, questions about who or what was responsible began to be asked:
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(This story appears in the 11 January, 2013 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)
Rightly said in the blog, there are so many cases of violence is seen from past many years that are mainly occurred due to the reason of bad employer and labour relations. For the betterment of work and productivity, it is highly required that there exists good communication levels between the management and employee. For this, even a new relations department is set up in many firms. To know more about employer and labour relations, visit us
on Feb 5, 2013We need to understand and evaluate the reasons behind the unrest and the acute hate for the Senior HR Management. Handling labour issue is sensitive task. All incidences and violence have happened were not overnight reactions. But many hidden chronic atrocities and small incidences were behind all violences. Treat employees with due respect and handle the matters understanding the psychology and state of mind of employees and working and living conditions of employees. Make them understand difference between right and wrong through certain psychological forums. Employee relation is very important. Gaining confidence of employees is very important aspect. Secondly, we need to upgrade our Labour Laws and should ensure from both the angles employer and employee. Management need to be proactive in order to hinder the future violence. If necessary take legal and security precautions well in advance. Our LABOUR ENACTMENTS should be such which should ensure the justice for both Employer and employees.
on Dec 28, 2012Post Manesar and evn before alos labour unrest lead to the death top executives of the organisations 27th Jan\'2012 Mr Chandrasekhar President Opn) Regency Ceramics was killed. There willbe a parity in the wages between Contract Labour and Regular employees and as such there is separate schedule for Minimum Wages for Contract Labour. The employers will take the advantage for reduction of Labour cost. A.V.V.Kumar
on Dec 28, 2012Business is getting extremely complex, margins have to be maintained though the prices of the product cannot be increased due to the intense competition at the market place. It is just like tight rope walking for business. Mr Banaji\'s analogy with the learning\'s of airship case with Maruti\'s case is an eye opener and very true. With the rising cost pressures on the large manufacturing business we should be ready to face more such ugly events lik Maruti, there is no easy answers.
on Dec 27, 2012