PRINCIPLES OF GOOD INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS

There are a couple of principles of good industrial relations, but all depend on the efficiency of the players in the system.

Here are the major principles:

• The willingness and ability of management and trade unions to deal with the problems freely, independently and with responsibility
• Recognition of collective bargaining.
• Desirability of associations of workers and management with the Government while formulating and implementing policies relating to general economic and social measures affecting industrial relations.
• Fair redressal of employee grievances by the management
• Providing satisfactory working conditions and payment of fair wage.
• Introducing a suitable system of employees’ education and training.
• Developing a proper communication system between management and employees.
• To ensure better working conditions, living conditions and reasonable wages.
• To develop employees to adapt themselves for technological, social and economic changes.
• To make positive contributions to the economic development of the country.

Role of State in Good Industrial Relations

In recent years the State has played an important role in regulating industrial relations but the extent of its involvement in the process is determined by the level of social and economic development while the mode of intervention gets patterned in conformity with the political system obtaining in the country and the social and cultural traditions of its people.

The degree of State intervention is also determined by the stage of economic development. For example, in a developing economy like Zambia, work-stoppages to settle claims have more serious consequences than in a developed economy and similarly, a free market economy may leave the parties free to settle their relations through strikes and lockouts but in other systems varying degrees of State participation is required for building up sound industrial relations.

In Zambia, the role played by the State is an important feature in the field of industrial relations and State intervention in this area has assumed a more direct form. The State has enacted procedural as well as substantive laws to regulate industrial relations in the country.

Role of Management in Industrial Relations

•    Managements must delegate authority to their employees commensurate with responsibility.

• They must evolve well-conceived and scientific wage and salary plans so that the employees may receive just compensation for their efforts. They must devise, develop and implement a proper incentive plan for personnel at all levels in the organization.
• There must be a well-planned communication system in the organization to pass on the information and to get feedback from the employees.
• Managements must pay personal attention to the problems of their employees irrespective of the fact whether they arise out of job environment or they are of personal nature.
• They must evolve, establish and utilize appropriate types of machinery for the speedy redressal of employees’ grievances.
• Managements must provide enlightened leadership to the people in the organization.
• An environment of mutual respect, confidence, goodwill and understanding on the part of both management and employees in the exercise of their rights and performance of their duties should prevail for maintaining good industrial relations.

 The management has a significant role to play in maintaining smooth industrial relations. For a positive improvement in their relations with employees and maintain sound human relations in the organization, the management must treat employees with dignity and respect.

Employees should be given ‘say’ in the affairs of the organization generally and wherever possible, in the decision-making process as well. A participative and permissive attitude on the part of management tends to give an employee a feeling that he is an important member of the organization, a feeling that encourages a spirit of cooperativeness and dedication to work.

• Management must make genuine efforts to provide a congenial work environment.
• They must make the employees feel that they are genuinely interested in their personal development.
• To this end, adequate opportunities for appropriate programmes of training and development should he provided.