A.

CONCEPT OF WORKERS PARTICIPATION IN

MANAGEMENT
I.

HISTORY:
The idea of workers participation arose in Europe, where collective bargaining has
usually been at the branch or industry level; this often left a gap of employee
representation at the enterprise or plant level, which became filled by bodies such as
works councils, works committees, enterprise committees and so forth. Many
developing countries have also adopted legislative initiatives with a view to having
works councils or similar structures set up (e.g., Pakistan, Thailand, and Zimbabwe)
as a means of promoting labour-management cooperation. The relationship of these
bodies to trade unions and collective bargaining has been the subject of considerable
legislation and negotiation.
Workers Participation in Management is an essential ingredient of Industrial
democracy. The concept of WPM is based on Human Relations approach to
Management which brought about a new set of values to labour and management.
Traditionally the concept of Workers Participation in Management (WPM) refers to
participation of non-managerial employees in the decision-making process of the
organization. Workers participation is also known as labour participation or
employee participation in management. In Germany it is known as co-determination
while in Yugoslavia it is known as self-management. The International Labour
Organization has been encouraging member nations to promote the scheme of
Workers Participation in Management. Workers participation in management
implies mental and emotional involvement of workers in the management of
Enterprise.

International Labour Organization:

Workers participation, may broadly be taken to cover all terms of association of
workers and their representatives with the decision-making process, ranging from
exchange of information, consultations, decisions and negotiations, to more
institutionalized forms such as the presence of workers member on management or
supervisory boards or even management by workers themselves The main
implications of workers participation in management as summarized by ILO:

Workers have ideas which can be useful;

Workers may work more intelligently if they are informed about the
reasons for and then intention of decisions that are taken in a participative
atmosphere.

II.

DEFINITIONS:
1. WORKERS PARTICIPATION:

According to Keith Davis, Participation refers to the mental and emotional

involvement of a person in a group situation which encourages him to contribute to
group goals and share the responsibility of achievement.
According to Walpole, Participation in Management gives the worker a sense of
importance, pride and accomplishment; it gives him the freedom of opportunity for
self-expression; a feeling of belongingness with the place of work and a sense of
workmanship and creativity.
According to ILO, Workers participation, may broadly be taken to cover all terms
of association of workers and their representatives with the decision-making process,
ranging from exchange of information, consultations, decisions and negotiations, to
more institutionalized forms such as the presence of workers member on
management or supervisory boards or even management by workers themselves (as
practiced in Yugoslavia).
International Institute of Labour Studies says, WPM is the participation resulting
from the practices which increase the scope for employees share of influence in
decision-making at different tiers of organizational hierarchy with concomitant
(related) assumption of responsibility.
2. TRADE UNION:
Any association or combination of workmen or employers, whether temporary or
permanent, formed with the objective of (a) the regulation of relations between
workmen and employers, or between workmen and workmen or between employers
and employers; or (b) the imposing of restrictive conditions on the conduct of any
trade or business; or (c) the representation of either workmen or employers in trade
disputes; or (d) the promotion or organization or financing of strikes or lock-outs.
3. COLLECTIVE BARGAINING:
An agreement between employer and workmen or trade union relating to the terms
and conditions of employment of any workmen, or to the privileges, rights and duties
of the employer, workmen or trade union, or the manner of settlement of any dispute.
4.

III.

FEATURES OF WORKERS PARTICIPATION IN MANAGEMENT:

1. Workers participate in management not as individuals but collectively as a group
through their representatives, and participation means mental and emotional
involvement rather than mere physical presence.
2. Workers participation in management may be formal or informal. In both the
cases it is a system of communication and consultation whereby employees
express their opinions and contribute to managerial decisions.
3. There can be 5 levels of Management Participation or WPM.

a. Information participation: It ensures that employees are able to receive

information and express their views pertaining to the matter of general
economic importance.
b. Consultative importance: Here workers are consulted on the matters of
employee welfare such as work, safety and health. Final decision always rests
to the top management, as employees views are only advisory in nature.
c. Associative participation: It is an extension of consultative participation as
management here is under the moral obligation to accept and implement the
unanimous decisions of the employees. Under this method the managers and
workers jointly take decisions.
d. Administrative participation:Ensures greater share of participation in
discharging managerial functions. Decisions already taken by the
managementcome to employees, preferably with alternatives for administration
and employees have to select the best from those for implementation.

IV.

OBJECTIVES OF WORKERS PARTICIPATION:

To achieve industrial peace and harmony.
To build the most dynamic Human Resources by develop internal motivation in
the workers.
To boost the morale of employees and satisfy the workers social and esteem
needs.
To raise the levels of the employee production, productivity and product quality.
To satisfy workers by making them feel, that they have their voice in the
management.
To give workers a better understanding of their role in the working of industry.
To develop better mutual understanding so that the workers do not resist a change
for the betterment of the concern (e.g., introduction of work study, etc.)
To minimize the number of grievances and therefore, industrial disputes.
To make managing of the subordinates easy.

V.

FORMS OF PARTICIPATION:
Different forms of participation are discussed below:
Participation through Collective Bargaining: Collective bargaining results in
collective agreements which lay down certain rules and conditions of service in an

establishment. Such agreements are normally binding on the parties. Theoretically,

collective bargaining is based on the principle of balance of power, but, in actual
practice, each party tries to outbid the other and get maximum advantage by using,
if necessary, threats and counter threats like; strikes, lockouts and other direct
actions.
Participation through Staff and Works Councils: These are exclusive bodies of
employees, assigned with different functions in the management of an enterprise.
In West Germany, the works councils have various decision-making functions. In
some countries, their role is limited only to receiving information about the
enterprise. In Yugoslavia, these councils have wider decision-making powers in an
enterprise like; appointment, promotion, salary fixation and also major investment
decisions.
Participation through Suggestion Schemes: Participation of workers can take
place through suggestion scheme. Under this method workers are invited and
encouraged to offer suggestions for improving the working of the enterprise. A
suggestion box is installed and any worker can write his suggestions and drop
them in the box. Periodically all the suggestions are scrutinized by the suggestion
committee or suggestion screening committee. The committee is constituted by
equal representation from the management and the workers. The committee
screens various suggestions received from the workers. Good suggestions are
accepted for implementation and suitable awards are given to the concerned
workers. Suggestion schemes encourage workers interest in the functioning of an
enterprise.
Work directors: Under this method, one or two representatives of workers are
nominated or elected to the Board of Directors. This is the full-fledged and highest
form of workers participation in management. The basic idea behind this method
is that the representation of workers at the top-level would usher Industrial
Democracy, congenial employee-employer relations and safeguard the workers
interests. The Government of India introduced this scheme in several public sector
enterprises such as Hindustan Antibiotics, Hindustan Organic Chemicals Ltd etc.
However the scheme of appointment of such a director from among the employees
failed miserably and the scheme was subsequently dropped
Participation through Joint Management Councils and Committees: Setup as
early as 1958,these councils consist of equal number of representatives of the
employers and employees, not exceeding 12 at the plant level. The plant should
employ at least 500 workers.
The council discusses various matters relating to the working of the industry. This
council is entrusted with the responsibility of administering welfare measures,
supervision of safety and health schemes, scheduling of working hours, rewards
for suggestions etc., wages, bonus, and personal problems of the workers are
outside the scope of Joint management councils.Mainly these bodies are
consultative and advisory, with decision-making being left to the top management.
This system of participation is prevalent in many countries, including Britain and

India. As they are consultative and advisory, neither the managements nor the
workers take them seriously.
Board Representation: The role of a worker representative in the board of
directors is essentially one of negotiating the workers interest with the other
members of the board. At times, this may result in tension and friction inside the
board room. The effectiveness of workers representative at the board depend upon
his ability to participate in decision-making, his knowledge of the company
affairs, his educational background, his level of understanding and also on the
number of worker representatives in the Board.
Participation through Workers Ownership of Enterprise: Social selfmanagement in Yugoslavia is an example of complete control of management by
workers through an elected board and workers council. Even in such a system,
there exist two distinct managerial and operative functions with different sets of
persons to perform them. Though workers have the option to influence all the
decisions taken at the top level, in actual practice, the board and the top
management team assume a fairly independent role in taking major policy
decisions for the enterprises, especially in economic matters.
Participation through Shop councils: Government of India on the 30th of
October 1975 announced a new scheme in WPM. In every Industrial
establishment employing 500 or more workmen, the employer shall constitute a
shop council. Shop council represents each department or a shop in a unit
consisting of an equal number of representatives from both employer and
employees. The employers representatives are nominated by the management and
consists of persons within the establishment. The workers representatives will be
from among the workers of the department or shop concerned. The total number of
employees
may
not
exceed
12.
Functions of Shop Councils:
1. Assist management in achieving monthly production targets.
2. Improve production and efficiency, including elimination of wastage of man
power.
3. Study absenteeism in the shop or department and recommend steps to reduce
it.
4. Suggest health, safety and welfare measures to be adopted for smooth
functioning of staff.
5. Look after physical conditions of working such as lighting, ventilation, noise
and dust. Ensure proper flow of adequate two way communication between
management and workers.
Financial participation: This method involves less consultations or even joint
decisions. Performance of the organization is linked to the performance of the
employee. The logic behind this is that if an employee has a financial stake in the
organization, he/she is likely to be more positively motivated and involved.
Some schemes of financial participation:

1. Profit-linked pay
2. Profit sharing and Employees Stock Option schemes.
3. Pension-fund participation.
Quality Circles and Total Quality Management: Quality circles and other
similar group activities were rapidly introduced in a large number of enterprises in
some Western European countries (e.g., the United Kingdom and France) at the
start of the 1980s and in the United States a little earlier. They built upon Quality
of Working Life (QWL) or Humanization of Work programmes that began in
the early 1970s. Their spread was considerably later in some other Western
countries (e.g., Germany) and still seems to be very limited in countries where
joint project groups are the predominant means of dealing with work organization,
such as Sweden. Quality circles were the most visible and easily transplantable
feature of Japanese human resource management. Quality circles are generally
expected to produce two types of effect: one is the enhancement of quality and
productivity and the other is the fostering of a sense of participation in workrelated decisions among workers, leading to increased job satisfaction and better
industrial relations.

VI. IMPORTANCE OF WORKERS PARTICIPATION IN MANAGEMENT:

Higher Productivity: The increased productivity is possible only when there
exists fullest co-operation between labour and management. It has been found that
poor labour management relations do not encourage the workers to contribute
anything more than the minimum desirable to retain their jobs. Thus participation
of workers in management is essential to increase industrial productivity.
Greater Commitment: An important prerequisite for forging greater individual
commitment is the individuals involvement and opportunity to express himself.
Participation allows individuals to express themselves at the work place rather
than being absorbed into a complex system of rules, procedures and systems. If an
individual knows that he can express his opinion and ideas, a personal sense of
gratification and involvement takes place within him. I am sure you will agree that
participation increases the level of commitment and the employees start relating to
the organization.
Reduced Industrial Unrest. Industrial conflict is a struggle between two
organized groups, which are motivated by the belief that their respective interests

are endangered by the self-interested behaviour of the other. Participation cuts at

the very root of industrial conflict. It tries to remove or at least minimize the
diverse and conflicting interests between the parties, by substituting it with
cooperation, homogeneity and common interests. Both sides are integrated and
decision arrived at are mutual rather than individual.
Improved Decisions. I am sure that you will agree that communication is never a
one way process, Also note that it is seldom, if ever, possible for managers to have
knowledge of all alternatives and all consequences related to the decisions which
they must make. Because of the existence of barriers to the upward flow of
information in most enterprises, much valuable information possessed by
subordinates never reaches their managers. Participation tends to break down the
barriers, and makes the information available to managers. To the extent such
information alters the decisions, the quality of decisions is improved.
Human Resource Development. Participation provides education to workers in
the management of industry. It fosters initiative and creativity among them. It
develops a sense of responsibility. Informal leaders get an opportunity to reinforce
their position and status by playing an active role in decision-making and by
inducing the members of the group to abide by them.
Reduced Resistance to Change. Last but not the least, it should be noted that
changes are arbitrarily introduced from above without explanation. Subordinates
tend to feel insecure and take counter measures aimed at sabotage of changes. But
when they have participated in the decision making process, they have had an
opportunity to be heard. They know what to expect and why. Their resistance to
change is reduced.

VII. ESSENTIAL CONDITIONS FOR EFFECTIVE WPM:

There must be effective system of communicationand free flow of information
throughout the organization. Both labours representatives and managements
representatives must be able to understand each other and express themselves
without any inhibitions. The whole idea after all is to be able to speak out ones
mind and listen to the counterparts point of view.
The overall climate in the organization should be favorable to workers
participation. There should be an attitude of mutual co-operation, confidence, and
respect for each other. Management, in particular, should be genuinely receptive to
the labours ideas so that the latter can perceive that their ideas are useful.
The workers representatives should have the ability such as intelligence and
knowledge, to participate. It is not appropriate to ask workers to participate in
technical aspects of the machinery; but they can participate successfully in
problems relating to their work. The contributions made by the workers should be
worthwhile and should benefit the workers in the long run. It should be in the
interest of the management as well.

 There must be sufficient time to participate before action is required; because

participation in emergent situations is hardly advisable. Participation should be
real. The issues related to increase in production and productivity, evaluation of
costs, development of personnel, and expansion of markets should also be brought
under the jurisdiction of the participating bodies.
Decisions taking by different participatory forums must be sincerely carried out in
the stipulated time.
Participation must work as complementary body to help collective bargaining,
which creates conditions of work and also creates legal relations.

B.

WORKERS PARTICIPATION IN MANAGEMENT IN INDIA

I.

EVOLUTION OF PARTICIPATIVE MANAGEMENT IN INDIA:

Gandhiji recommended such a radical step, when, in 1946, he advised certain
employers, who were faced with a strike of the workers, to withdraw, leaving the
factory and management altogether in the hands of the workers themselves. In
between these two limits, workers' participation may take the form of joint
committees for such functions as safety measures, social and cultural activities,
production and productivity personnel counselling, and control of working
conditions, auditing, profit sharing, recruitment and dismissals, and management of
the enterprise. Earlier in 1937, Gandhiji had pleaded for a milder form of workers'
participation, when he said, "It is vital to the well-being of the industry that the
workmen should be regarded as equals with shareholders and that they have, therefore, every right to possess an accurate knowledge of the transactions of the mills. If
labourers are co-equal owners, their organizations should have the same access to
the transactions of the mills as the shareholders."

The beginning towards WPM was made with the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947,
which made Works Committees mandatory in industrial establishments employing
100 or more workers.The joint management councils were established in 1950 which
increased the labour participation in management.Since July 1975 the two-tier
participation called shop councils at shop level and Joint councils were
introduced.Workers participation in Management Billwas introduced in Parliament
in 1990.
The Industrial Policy Resolution adopted by the government in 1956 stated that there
should be some joint consultation to ensure industrial peace, and improve employeremployee relations.A study team was appointed in 1962 to report on the working of
joint councils and committees.
During the emergency of 1975-77, the interest in these schemes was revived by the
then Prime Minister by including Workers Participation in industry in the
governments 20-point program.

The government started persuading large enterprises to set up joint consultative

committees and councils at different levels.
The Janata Government who came to power in 1977 carried on this initiative. It was
again emphasized by the Congress government who came back in 1979. This
continued in a non- statutory vein till the late 1980s, and the response from the
employers and employees stayed Luke-warm. Then, the 42 ndAmendment to the
Constitution was made.

Now, Article 43-A reads: The State shall take steps, by suitable legislation, or in any
other way, to secure the participation of workers in the management of undertakings,
establishments or other organizations engaged in any industry. Thus, participative
management is a constitutional commitment in India.
And then, on May 30, 1990, the government introduced the Participation of Workers
in Management Bill in the Rajya Sabha.
The bill requires every industrial enterprise to constitute one or more `Shop-Floor
Councils at the shop floor level, and `Establishment Council at the establishment
level. These councils will have equal representation of employers and employees.
The bill also provides for penalties on individuals who contravene any provision of
the bill.

Refer for detail: Page 246 of Industrial Relations, Trade Unions and Labour Legislation
by P.R.N.Sinha, Indubala Sinha, and Seema Priyadarshini Shekhar.

II.

CASE STUDIES- Indian organizational scenario:

Category

1980-81

1981-82

1982-83

1983-84

1984-85

Executives

1290

1390

1493

1614

1702

Supervisors

2844

2841

3249

3546

3621

Others

9657

10139

10824

11477

12218

Total

13791

14370

15566

16637

17541

1. Workers' Participation in Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. (BHEL): The Case of

Tiruchi
The Government of India has been continuously laying special emphasis on
strengthening the practice of labour participation in manufacturing and service
organizations. In relation of the national objective of promoting employee
participation in management, the Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) decided
to introduce the concept of labour participation in management in the early
seventiesin its various units. A formal beginning was made with the constitution of a
Joint Committee at the corporate level on April 3, 1973.
Background of Tiruchi unit:
The Tiruchi unit of BHEL manufactures high pressure boilers for thermal and nuclear
power stations of units size up to 500 MW and 235 MW respectively and also
manufactures the related auxiliary equipment. The other products include industrial
process steam boilers of different sizes to meet the requirements of fertilizer,
petrochemical, steel and paper industries. The boilers are designed for operation on a
wide range of fuels, namely, coal, fuel oil, gas, asphalt, black liquor and a
combination of some of these fuel types.
Beginning from 1980 till the year 1985, the Tiruchi unit witnessed a phenomenal
growth in personnel from 13,791 employees in 1980-81 to 17,541 in 1984-85.
Of the total employees, 1,702 belong to the executive cadre and 3,621 and 12,218 fall
in the category of supervisors and workers/ministerial staff respectively. The growth
of manpower over the years is evident from Table 1.

Table 1: Growth of Personnel in the Tiruchi Unit (1980-1985)

The main tasks of these executives are:

To resolve day-to-day grievances of the workers.
To provide feedback to the Industrial Relations Manager and Personnel Manager
about shop- floor processes.

 To maintain personal files of the workers to carry out routine administrative

work. To counsel the workers on issues like absenteeism, code of conduct and
behaviour at the workplace, attitude to superiors, alcoholism, Money lending and
other undesirable practices.
To act as an important channel of communication between the workers on the
shop floor and the management.
To be available to the workers and to help them on any matters as and when the
need arises.

Industrial Relations and Trade Union Structure:

In the year 1985, there was a tool-down strike resulting in the loss of 161 man-days.
Another strike of eight hours' duration took place in support of striking teachers and
fishermen which resulted in the loss of 2,114 man-days. There are 9 unions operating
at the Tiruchi unit, out of which the following four have been recognized by the
corporation as participating unions:
1) BHEL Workers' Union (CITU)
2) Boiler Plant Employees' Union (TNTUC)
3) BHEL Employees' Progressive Union (LPF/DMK)
4) Boiler Plant Anna Workers' Union (ATP/AIADMK)
It has been reported by the management that despite the existence of many unions,
the problem has been handled by evolving the concept of "participating union" and
by not allowing other unions to take part in negotiations on any issue whatsoever.
The concept of participating union entitles unions to take part in negotiations with
the management on both work-related and interest-related issues as well as to
represent their representatives onto various committees.

Workers Participation in Tiruchi Unit:

Works Committee:
i

The first Works Committee started functioning from 1967 and the third Works
Committee was formed in 1972 in accordance to the rules framed by the Tamil Nadu
government under the industrial disputes act, 1947.
Rules:
The tenure of the committees would be for a period of six years and one third of the
members should retire every two years. The Works Committee consists of one
Chairman, one Vice-Chairman, one Secretary, and a Joint Secretary, all appointed by
the committee members. In case the elected Chairman is from among the
management representatives, the Vice-Chairman must be from among the workers
representatives, and vice versa. Similar is the condition for the position of Secretary
and Joint Secretary.

For election purposes, the whole unit is divided into ten constituencies and one
representative from each constituency is included in the committee. The members of
the Works Committee are also nominated to such other committees as the Township
Committee, Staff Benefit Committee, Death Relief Fund Committee, Safety
Committee, etc. All these committees, combined together, work for the betterment of
the employees while channelizing their efforts for achieving growth and attaining
excellence in the unit.
The major issues taken up by the Works Committee are as follows:
Conditions of work such as ventilation, lighting, temperature and sanitation
including latrines and urinals.
Amenities like drinking water, canteens, dining rooms, creches, rest rooms,
and medical and health services.
Safety and accident prevention, occupational diseases and protective equipment.
Adjustment of festival and National Holidays.
Administration of welfare and fine funds.
Educational and recreational activities such as libraries, reading rooms, cinema
shows, sports, games, picnics, community welfare and celebrations.
Promotion of thrift and savings.
Implementation and review of decisions taken in the meetings of Works
Committee.
Shop Council
Structure:
There are 15 shop councils in the Tiruchi unit of which eight are major and seven are
minor. The shops where production is involved are considered as major and those in
non-production areas constitute minor shop councils. Workers' representatives in the
shop council are nominated by the participating unions on the basis of the percentage
of votes they have secured in the election to the Joint Committee.
Functions:
The shop councils deal with operational problems of all kinds some of which are listed
below:
Controlling wastage
Ensuring material economy and Proper storage of materials
Quality improvement
Absenteeism, reduction and redesigning of work
Attaining monthly targets for production
Review of cost reduction, inventory reduction, technological development,
productivity as well as utilization of capacity of critical machines.
Formulation of schemes for job redesign, group working, job enrichment and
evolving guide lines for implementation.
Any matter referred to by the plant council for consideration of the shop council.
Plant Council
Structure:

The Plant Council is responsible for the overall working of the plant and it discusses
matters which have unit wide repercussions. Workers' representatives are nominated
by the participating unions who have been elected to the Joint Committee.
Eight workers' representatives are nominated to the Plant Council. An equal number
of management representatives are also nominated to the council. The tenure of the
council is two years with effect from the date of the first meeting. The Plant Council
meets once in two months and all decisions are taken on the basis of consensus. Only
those issues which pertain to the entire plant or those which the shop councils could
not resolve or which fall beyond the purview of the shop councils are taken up for
discussion in the Plant Council meetings. The General Manager of the plant is the
Chairman of the Plant Council and one of the members acts as Secretary to the
Council.

Functions:
The major functions of the Plant Council are:
To review production targets for the plant as a whole keeping in tune with the
overall target set by the corporation.
To resolve inter-council problems that are referred to the council.
To provide suitable guidelines for reducing absenteeism.
To periodically review cost reduction schemes, including wastage reduction,
quality improvement, target achievement for production, inventory reduction, etc.
To develop information systems regarding site failures, mechanical defects,
rejection rates and overall performance of the plant.
Suggestion Scheme
A Suggestion Scheme has been in operation in the Tiruchi unit since 1964 with the
objective of ensuring greater involvement of the workers on matters of importance
regarding employee welfare as well as effective working of the organizations as a
whole. Under this scheme, there are 12 Area Committees and one Central Suggestion
committee. Employees and workmen at various levels are encouraged to put forward
their suggestions. Boxes for receiving suggestions have been placed in different
locations in the factory premises and good suggestions are awarded cash prizes.
Suggestions are received on various issues pertaining to safety, efficiency, industrial
relations, public relations, cost reduction, etc.

2. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd., Mumbai

BPCL produces a diverse range of products, from petrochemicals and solvents to
aircraft fuel and specialty lubricants, and markets them through its wide network of
petrol stations, kerosene dealers, LPG distributors and lube Shoppes, besides
supplying fuel directly to hundreds of industries and several international and
domestic airlines.
Employee involvement:

The plant has several employee involvement procedures, termed collaborative

initiatives. These can be classified into two groups:
1) Structured, such as:
a) A works committee, set up under the Industrial Disputes Act 1947. It has six
workers elected from among the employees. Four of them represent operatives,
one represents clerical employees and one represents service and maintenance
workers. Six managers too sit on the committee. According to the unions,
quarterly committee meetings are used mainly for discussions on welfare
activities, working conditions, suggestions for improvement made by any
workman and for counselling workmen who have problems with alcoholism or
drugs, or are chronic absentees. Absenteeism was brought down, primarily as a
result of expectations of the workers children and in view of the changed
economic scenario;
b) Various committees for ISO standards certification, achieved for the plant through
union-management cooperation;
c) Constitution of quality circles: One has been set up so far in the small packaging
section; and
d) Suggestion schemes: Both managers and unions suggestions are often made and
the
good
ones
by
the
unions
were
given
recognition.
2) Unstructured, convened from time to time on specific issues, such as:
a) Communication: Various plant functions and events are utilized by the
management for spreading awareness about performance and the competitive
environment. The union feedback is that the plant management conveys all major
issues to the unions, for example, production; additional working hours during
JanuaryMarch each year due to increase in demand; irregularity in working
cycles caused by availability of ships for loading and; time taken for tests to
achieve best quality.
b) Discussions among management and union representatives
To increase capacity utilization;
To redeploy some workers from cleaning and canteen tasks to actual
operations (28 workers have been given upgraded to new job definitions
after proper training);
To improve packaging unit for small packages; and
To reduce costs in various operations.
c) Unions also can and do ask, plant management for any improvements they feel are
necessary (for instance, they sought two annual health check-ups. They also
discussed overtime, problems related to work, ship loading and Saturday working
for half day or full day).

III.

REASONS FOR FAILURE OF WPM IN INDIA:

Employers resist the participation of workers in decision-making. This is because
they feel that workers are not competent enough to take decisions.
Workers representatives who participate in management have to perform the
dual roles of workers spokesman and a co-manager. Very few representatives are
competent enough to assume the two incompatible roles.

 Generally Trade Unions leaders who represent workers are also active members
of various political parties. While participating in management they tend to give
priority to political interests rather than the workers cause.
Schemes of workers participation have been initiated and sponsored by the
Government. However, there has been a lack of interest and initiative on the part
of both the trade unions and employers.
In India, labour laws regulate virtually all terms and conditions of employment at
the workplace. Workers do not feel the urge to participate in management, having
an innate feeling that they are born to serve and not to rule.
The focus has always been on participation at the higher levels, lower levels have
never been allowed to participate much in the decision-making in the
organizations.
The unwillingness of the employer to share powers with the workers
representatives, the disinterest of the workers and the perfunctory attitude of the
government towards participation in management act as stumbling blocks in the
way of promotion of participative management.

IV.

MEASURES FOR MAKING PARTICIPATION EFFECTIVE

Employer should adopt a progressive outlook. They should consider the industry
as a joint endeavour in which workers have an equal say. Workers should be
provided and enlightened about the benefits of their participation in the
management.
Employers and workers should agree on the objectives of the industry. They
should recognize and respect the rights of each other.
Workers and their representatives should be provided education and training in
the philosophy and process of participative management. Workers should be
made aware of the benefits of participative management.
There should be effective communication between workers and management and
effective consultation of workers by the management in decisions that have an
impact on them.
Participation should be a continuous process. To begin with, participation should
start at the operating level of management.
A mutual co-operation and commitment to participation must be developed by
both management and labour.
Modern scholars are of the mind that the old adage a worker is a worker, a
manager is a manager; never the twain shall meet should be replaced by
managers and workers are partners in the progress of business.

FOREIGN SCENARIO of WORKERS PARTICIPATION:

C. EMPLOYEE PARTICIPATION MECHANISMS INSRI LANKA

The process of employee participation in the workplace has traditionally taken place
in Sri Lanka through the formation of trade unions. In Sri Lanka, trade unions have
been
linked
with
the
struggle
for
independence.
The Industrial Disputes Act No. 43 of 1950 (ID Act) was introduced for the
prevention, investigation and settlement of industrial disputes, and is the corner stone
of labour administration in Sri Lanka.

ii

Participation through trade unions:

According to the Sri Lankan legislation, a trade union must be registered as such with
the relevant authority in order to bargain with the employer on behalf of its members
or to be recognized for bargaining purposes. Under the Trade Unions Ordinance No.
14 of 1935,a trade union needs to be registered with an initial membership of seven
workers to exercise rights granted under the Trade Unions Ordinance (TUO).
Definition:
A trade union is defined as being any association or combination of workmen or
employers, whether temporary or permanent, formed with the objective of (a) the
regulation of relations between workmen and employers, or between workmen and
workmen or between employers and employers; or (b) the imposing of restrictive
conditions on the conduct of any trade or business; or (c) the representation of either
workmen or employers in trade disputes; or (d) the promotion or organization or
financing of strikes or lock-outs.
This enables any type of workers organization, whether Workers Council, Joint
Consultative Committee, or any other such association to register as a trade union
under the TUO, provided that one or more of the stated objectives are contained in its
rules of association. This is because of the provision that any association or
combination of workmen can be defined as a trade union and may register as a trade
union in order to exercise the rights and privileges granted under the TUO.
CollectiveBargaining:
Another mechanism for employee participation in Sri Lanka is Collective bargaining.
Significantly, Collective bargaining can take place without the presence of a trade
union, which means that other forms of employee participation mechanisms could
also use this provision to bargain with the employer.
Definition:
Collective Bargainingmay be defined as, An agreement between employer and
workmen or trade union relating to the terms and conditions of employment of any
workmen, or to the privileges, rights and duties of the employer, workmen or trade
union, or the manner of settlement of any dispute.
The parties may submit a collective agreement to the Commissioner of Labour who
shall cause the agreement to be published in the Government Gazette, provided that
the Commissioner is satisfied that the terms of such agreement are no less favourable

than those applicable to other workers in the same industry in that district. A
collective agreement when published becomes enforceable and is binding on the
parties unless it is repudiated as provided in the ID Act.

Other form of employee participation in Sri Lanka:

Employee participation can clearly take many forms and arrangements, including
formal and informal participation mechanisms at the workplace. Employee
participation can be direct or indirect, and passive or active: it depends on the way it
is built into an organization. Direct participation involves the employees themselves,
whereas indirect participation takes place through intermediary employee
representative bodies, such as workers councils or trade unions.
Trade unions have been given a pre-eminent position in Sri Lanka to represent
workers at various levels, but there are other types of workers organizations and
representative bodies that have emerged for specific purposes.
A recent publication (Arrigo, G. and Casale, G. 2010) for the ILO, defined workers'
participation as any workplace process or mechanism that allows employees to exert
some influence over their work and the conditions under which they work.
It also states that this definition includes a wide spectrum of practices from
consultation of employees concerning aspects of the production process or workplace
environment, to co-determination in decision-making by employee representatives, or
even the supplanting of management to some extent by full workers' control (such as
in cooperatives). Broadly speaking, formal processes for workers participation can
be divided into three approaches which may also co-exist in the same workplace:
a) Representative or indirect participation through employee representation (works
councils, consultative committees, trade unions, and employee representatives on
boards of management);
b) Direct participation, practiced face-to-face or individually between employees and
managers or through teams, quality circles, and semi or fully autonomous work
groups; and
c) Financial participation, through employee share-holding, encompasses different
schemes under which employees can benefit from the organizations economic
performance.
The mechanisms, programmes and strategies for employee participation cited in the
publication are many and include:

Democratic management;
Information sharing forums;
Joint labour-management training programmes;
Safety and health committees;

Quality circles;
Quality of work life programmes;
Employee participation teams other than quality circles;
Total quality management teams;
Team based work structures with a variety of responsibilities;
Gain-sharing and profit-sharing plans;
Employee ownership programmes;
Worker representation on corporate boards of directors;
Survey feedback;
Job enrichment or redesign initiatives;
Union-management quality of work life committees;
Mini-enterprise units;
Self-managing work teams (autonomous work groups, semi-autonomous
work groups, self-regulating work teams, or even simply work teams);
Site-based management;
Knowledge management programmes;
Business process re-engineering (but some do not consider this a
participative mechanism);
Open-book management;
Theory Z.

D. WORKERS PARTICIPATION IN JAPAN:

ENDNOTES:

Section 3 in The Industrial Disputes Act, 1947

3. Works Committee.(1) In the case of any industrial establishment in which one hundred or more workmen are employed or have been employed on
any day in the preceding twelve months, the appropriate Government may by general or special order require the employer to
constitute in the prescribed manner a Works Committee consisting of representatives of employers and workmen engaged in the
establishment so however that the number of representatives of workmen on the Committee shall not be less than the number of
representatives of the employer. The representatives of the workmen shall be chosen in the prescribed manner from among the
workmen engaged in the establishment and in consultation with their trade union, if any, registered under the Indian Trade Unions
Act, 1926 (16 of 1926 ).

[(1) Ins. by Act 35 of 1965, s. 3 (w. e. f. 1- 12- 1965).]

(2) It shall be the duty of the Works Committee to promote measures for securing and preserving amity and good relations between
the employer and workmen and, to that end, to comment upon matters of their common interest or concern and endeavour to
compose any material difference of opinion in respect of such matters.
ii

The Industrial Disputes Act No. 43 of 1950 (ID Act) was introduced for the prevention, investigation and settlement of
industrial disputes, and is the corner stone of labour administration in Sri Lanka. It applies to all workers and employers in
the private sector, and is administered by the Commissioner General of Labour (CGL). An amendment to the ID Act in 1999 the
concept of unfair labour practice was established by statute, by making the non-recognition of a legitimate trade union by an
employer a penal offence. The amendment makes it an unfair labour practice for any employer to prevent a worker from becoming
a member of a legitimate trade union, or harassing a worker to withdraw from membership of a trade union; it is also an unfair
labour practice for the employer to refuse to bargain with a trade union with 40 per cent of workers in a workplace in its
membership.