Employee Relationship Management

Employee Relationship Management Assignment – 1 Trade Union In Jharkhand Jharkhand Krantikaari Mazdoor Union – JKMU Submitted by P. Lokeshwari S. Shahana Devi Jharkhand Krantikaari Mazdoor Union In July  JKMU  organised a union of 220 contract workers in a newly established private steel factory owned by Electro Steel Casting Ltd. 40 kms from Bokaro. All 500 workers employed in the plant are local workers. 100 workers’ services were terminated for participating in union formation activities. JKMU  organised a dharna and blockades with the help of local villagers and forced management to reinstate all workers.The Deputy Labour Commissioner also put pressure on management to take back the workers or else the factory license would be cancelled. The newly formed union held meetings with the  ALC  on 2nd & 10th July and submitted demand notice to management. In April-May in Bokaro Power Supply Co. Pvt. Ltd. (a joint venture between  SAIL  and  DVC)   JKMU  has a union of 500 contract workers. There are multiple unions in the plant, but the  JKMU  union members in the helper category who had been struggling for a year for implementation of minimum wages and other benefits finally boycotted payment for 10 days.The action ended with implementation of their demands by the contractor and payment of minimum wages was done in the presence of management and union representatives. The Jharkhand Krantikaari Mazdoor Union (JKMU) has been struggling for many years demanding permanent status for all workers on contract in perennial jobs in the Bokaro Steel Plant. The  JKMU  has been made a member of the Jharkhand State Contract Labour Advisory Board and the Jharkhand State Engineering Industries Wage Board. This is a rare incident as it is usually accepted that only central trade unions are made members of such state level boards.More than 90% of contract workers in the power sector are today members of  JKMU. Recent Struggles : 1. In Bokaro steel plant, contract and casual workers are not given quarters and had been living in slums. High Court has now given orders for encroachment, which would then lead to the demolition of these structures. SP and other district officials were gheraoed by workers. JKMU  had given a strike notice in 16-17 May 2011. Meetings were held everywhere and contract workers were mobilised in huge numbers. An application was also submitted simultaneously to the Regional Labour Commissioner (RLC) for rehabilitation of these workers.RLC  asked for quarters to be built and management finally accepted the demands for building permanent structures. 2. In July 2009  JKMU  organised a union of 220 contract workers in a newly established private steel factory owned by Electro Steel Casting Ltd. In this unit 100 workers were terminated for participating in union activities. JKMU  organised a dharna and several blockades with the help of local villagers and forced the management to reinstate all workers. The union could also force the Deputy Labour Commissioner exercise his power on the management to reinstate the workers with the threat to cancel the factory license.