The need of the day is to have labour reforms that enable attraction of additional investments coined with equity and fairness resulting in better shop floor climate and reduced social tensions.
CII in association with XISS, Ranchi, organised the fourth edition of IR
Conclave here on Saturday to deliberate on creating a long-term strategy for improved Industrial Relations, which is crucial for sustainable economic growth and development.
Addressing the Conclave as the Guest of Honour, Secretary, Departments of Labour, Employment and Training, Dr Rajeev Arun Ekka, stated that Employees, Trade Unions and Industry must work together and forge partnership to ensure sustained Industrial growth and development.
Ekka said that all the reforms that has come up in the area of IR would be translated into action in Jharkhand. He affirmed that cooperative business solution is the key for sustainable growth.
Dr Onkar Sharma, CLS, Deputy Chief Labour Commissioner (Central), Ministry of Labour & Employment, Government of India sated that employees should be treated as partners and not as mere resources.
He opined that Industrial Relations should be looked at as personal relations.
Suresh Dutt Tripathi, Chairman, CII Eastern Region HR & IR Subcommittee & Vice President — Human Resource Management, Tata Steel Ltd in his address stated that to continue with the dynamism in the industry and investment space, Industrial Relations have a key role to play.
He said that excellent labour relations and regulations contribute to a happy, productive workforce that partner with management for best possible outcomes for the enterprise.
He avowed that with a view to showcase industry’s commitment to fair and ethical practices while dealing with employees, CII’s National Committee on Industrial Relations has drafted two guidelines for creating a Fair and Responsible Workplace. One is focused around Contract Labour and the other is on Collaborative Employee Relations.
He said that Policy makers, Industry and Labour Unions need to work towards a flexible labour policy with attendant checks and balances that can bring about higher investments and employment.
Killol Kamani, Chairman, CII Jharkhand State Council & Managing Director, Samarth Engineering Co. Pvt Ltd stated that a close look at industry trends in India following liberalisation shows that unlike other emerging economies which have espoused labour-intensive low-skill models of development, Indian industry has gone in for capital-intensive and technology-rich sectors.
At a time when India’s workforce continues to expand, there is a need to shift to a model that generates employment and livelihoods.
The CII IR Conclave 2018 deliberated on Management and Union Perspective in dealing with Millennial Workforce, Paradigm Shift in Employee Relations-Best Practices and Labour Reforms-Evolving legal framework for Employee Relations.
More than 200 delegates attended the conclave.
Other eminent speakers who addressed the Conclave included Father Alexius Ekka, Director, XISS, Ranchi; Subroto Basu Chaudhury, Vice President HR (South Asia), Linde India Ltd; R Ravi Prasad, President, Tata Steel Workers Union; Kamakshi Raman, Executive Director (HRD), Management Training Institute, Steel Authority of India Ltd; Rakeshwar Pandey, General Secretary, Indian National Trade Union Congress; Dr Kumar Mohit Spring, Professor, XISS, Ranchi; D K Bakshi, Chief Mentor & CEO, Global Talent Co Ltd; Navneet Damani, General Manager — Employee Relations, ITC Ltd; Dr Pranabesh Ray, Professor, XLRI — Xavier School of Management; Zubin Pesi Palia, Chief Group IR, HRM, Tata Steel Ltd.