CHSE Odisha Elective IRPM cheat sheet

Industrial relations (IR) = the study of the rules governing employment relationships and the interaction of three actors: workers and their organisations, employers and their associations, and the State.

Unitary perspective: organisation is one team with shared interests; conflict is irrational and caused by troublemakers; management prerogative and communication are the remedies.

Pluralist perspective: organisation contains competing interest groups; conflict is normal and legitimate; it is regulated through collective bargaining, grievance procedures and third-party intervention.

Radical/Marxist perspective: conflict is rooted in the unequal ownership of the means of production; IR institutions are seen as instruments that legitimise employer control.

Dunlop's systems model: actors + contexts (technological, market/budgetary, power) + a shared ideology + a body of rules; the rules are the output of the system.

Webb and Webb described collective bargaining as 'industrial democracy' and 'the method of collective regulation of conditions of employment'.

Actors' roles: employees seek better terms and voice; employers seek productivity and control; the State acts as legislator, protector, promoter of harmony and, in disputes, as conciliator/adjudicator.

IR in India is shaped by the tripartite machinery (Indian Labour Conference, Standing Labour Committee) and by ILO conventions ratified by India.

Trade Union Act, 1926: registration with the Registrar of Trade Unions; requires at least 10% or 100 workmen (whichever is less, minimum 7) for a new union, and 10% or 100 for a recognised union.

Section 2(h) defines a trade union as a combination formed primarily to regulate relations between workmen and employers, or between workmen and workmen, or between employers and employers.

Immunity: registered unions get protection under Sections 17 and 18 against civil and criminal liability for acts done in furtherance of a trade dispute.

Collective bargaining (CB) is a process of joint regulation of employment terms between employer and union representatives, ending in a written collective agreement.

Bargaining structures: single-employer, multi-employer, industry-wide, national; bargaining levels: enterprise, plant, industry, national.

Bargaining items: distributive (wages, benefits) and integrative (productivity, work rules, safety); 'concession bargaining' involves give-backs by unions in exchange for job security.

Good-faith bargaining requires willingness to meet, exchange information, make counter-proposals and sign a written agreement when consensus is reached.

In India, CB is not legally enforceable as a statutory duty; the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, Section 18(1) makes settlements between employer and workmen binding.

Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, Section 2(k): an industrial dispute is any dispute or difference between employers and employers, or employers and workmen, or workmen and workmen, connected with the employment or non-employment or the terms of employment or the conditions of labour of any person.

Section 2A: dismissal, retrenchment, or termination of an individual workman (other than by way of punishment) is deemed an industrial dispute even if no other workman is a party.

Types of disputes: interest disputes (rights to be created, e.g., wage revision) and rights disputes (existing rights, e.g., wrongful dismissal).

Strike: cessation of work by a body of persons acting in combination; lock-out: temporary closing of a place of employment or suspension of work by the employer.

Illegal strike/lock-out: under Section 23, during pendency of conciliation, arbitration or adjudication, and during a settlement or award period; Section 24 lists illegal strikes.

Section 22: in public utility services, a strike requires 14 days' notice and is prohibited during conciliation/adjudication and within 14 days after the notice.

Gherao, picketing and 'go-slow' are recognised forms of industrial action; go-slow is work at deliberately reduced speed and is treated as misconduct.

Section 25F: conditions for retrenchment - one month's notice or wages in lieu, retrenchment compensation of 15 days' average pay per completed year of service, and notice to the appropriate government.

Grievance: any dissatisfaction or feeling of injustice connected with employment that is brought to management's attention; it may be real or perceived.

Model grievance procedure (Industrial Employment Standing Orders Act, 1946, Schedule): 1) workman to foreman/supervisor, 2) to departmental head, 3) to Grievance Committee, 4) to the Manager, 5) to the appellate authority, and finally to voluntary arbitration.

Dispute resolution machinery under the ID Act: Conciliation Officer (Section 4), Board of Conciliation (Section 5), Court of Inquiry (Section 6), Labour Court (Section 7), Industrial Tribunal (Section 7A), National Tribunal (Section 7B).

Conciliation is a voluntary, non-binding process in which a third party assists the parties to reach a settlement; the conciliation officer's report under Section 12(4) may lead to reference of the dispute to adjudication.

Voluntary arbitration: under Section 10A, parties may refer a dispute to an arbitrator by written agreement, and the award is binding.

Adjudication: compulsory, binding and enforceable; the award is binding on the parties and remains in force for one year unless the government shortens or extends it.

Collective bargaining, mediation, conciliation, arbitration and adjudication form the escalation ladder; conciliation and adjudication are statutory, while mediation and CB are voluntary.

Section 33C provides for recovery of money due from an employer under a settlement, award or under Chapter VA/VC.

Personnel management (PM) is the administrative discipline of planning, organising, directing and controlling the acquisition, development, maintenance and utilisation of human resources.

Managerial functions: planning, organising, directing, coordinating, controlling; operative functions: procurement, development, compensation, integration, maintenance and separation.

Personnel policies are written statements of intent that guide decisions on recruitment, promotion, transfer, discipline, welfare and compensation; they must be clear, consistent and communicated.

Line and staff: line managers have authority over subordinates; the personnel department is a staff function advising line managers, with functional authority over HR matters.

Organisation of the PM department: typically headed by a Personnel Manager/Director, with sections for recruitment, training, compensation, welfare, industrial relations and records.

Personnel records: personnel files, attendance and leave records, payroll, appraisal, training and grievance records; they support decisions and statutory compliance.

HRM differs from traditional PM in its strategic orientation, emphasis on line ownership, and integration with business strategy.

Manpower planning, job analysis, job description and job specification are the foundation inputs for PM functions.

HRP is the process of forecasting an organisation's demand for and supply of the right people in the right numbers, with the right skills, at the right time and cost.

Demand forecasting techniques: managerial judgement, ratio analysis, trend analysis, regression, work-study and Delphi technique.

Supply forecasting: internal sources (promotion, transfer, succession) and external sources (labour market, educational institutions, competitors); net requirement = demand − internal supply.

Recruitment is the process of attracting a pool of qualified applicants; selection is the process of choosing the best candidate from that pool.

Internal recruitment sources: promotion, transfer, employee referrals, internal notices; external sources: advertisements, employment exchanges, campus recruitment, consultants, e-recruitment, walk-ins.

Selection steps: preliminary screening, application form, selection tests (aptitude, achievement, personality, interest, integrity), interview, reference check, medical examination, final approval and placement.

Types of interviews: structured, unstructured, panel, group, stress, behavioural (STAR) and situational; structured interviews have higher validity.

Induction/orientation follows selection; probation and confirmation follow placement; a realistic job preview reduces early turnover.

Training is job-related, short-term learning to improve current performance; development is broader, long-term growth for future roles.

Training needs assessment (TNA) at three levels: organisational, task/operational and individual/person analysis.

Training methods: on-the-job (coaching, mentoring, job rotation, apprenticeship, committee assignments) and off-the-job (lectures, case study, role play, simulation, vestibule, sensitivity training).

Kirkpatrick's four levels of evaluation: reaction, learning, behaviour and results; the CIPP model evaluates context, input, process and product.

Performance appraisal methods: ranking, paired comparison, forced distribution, graphic rating scale, critical incident, essay, checklist, BARS (behaviourally anchored rating scales) and MBO.

Common appraisal errors: halo/horns effect, leniency, strictness, central tendency, recency, primacy, stereotyping and similar-to-me bias.

360-degree appraisal collects feedback from supervisors, peers, subordinates, customers and self; it is used for development more than for pay decisions.

Appraisal outcomes feed training, promotion, transfer, pay and career planning; a feedback interview should be followed by an action plan.

Wage concepts: minimum wage (statutory floor), fair wage (industry capacity), living wage (socially adequate), nominal vs real wage.

Minimum Wages Act, 1948: appropriate government fixes minimum wages by scheduled employment, revised at intervals not exceeding five years; includes basic + special allowance.

Payment of Wages Act, 1936: applies to employees earning up to ₹24,000 per month; wages must be paid within 7 days of the wage period (10 days on termination); deductions are limited to 50% of wages.

Payment of Bonus Act, 1965: applies to establishments with 20 or more workers; eligible employees drawing up to ₹21,000 per month; minimum bonus 8.33%, maximum 20% of salary/wages.

Equal Remuneration Act, 1976: equal pay for equal work for men and women, and no discrimination in recruitment or promotion.

Components of pay: basic, DA, HRA, allowances, incentives, bonus, gratuity, provident fund, pension; CTC includes employer contributions.

Job evaluation methods: ranking, classification/grading, point rating and factor comparison; it establishes internal relativities, while wage surveys establish external competitiveness.

Incentive plans: individual (piece rate, Taylor differential piece rate, Halsey, Rowan, Emerson) and group (Scanlon, Rucker, profit-sharing, gain-sharing).

Factories Act, 1948: safety, health and welfare provisions; working hours max 48/week and 9/day; overtime at twice the ordinary rate; leave with wages at 1 day per 20 days worked.

Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946: requires establishments with 100 or more workers to certify standing orders on classification, attendance, leave, discipline and misconduct.

Employees' Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952: applies to establishments with 20 or more employees; employer and employee each contribute 12% of basic + DA.

Employees' State Insurance Act, 1948: applies to factories with 10 or more employees and to employees earning up to ₹21,000 per month; provides sickness, maternity, disablement, dependants' and medical benefits.

Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972: applies to establishments with 10 or more employees; gratuity = 15/26 × last drawn salary × years of service, subject to the statutory ceiling.

Maternity Benefit Act, 1961: 26 weeks' paid maternity leave for the first two children and 12 weeks thereafter; 12 weeks for adoptive and commissioning mothers.

Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, and the four Labour Codes (Wages, Industrial Relations, Social Security, OSH) consolidate and replace many legacy laws.

Employees' Compensation Act, 1923: employer liability for employment-related injury; compensation depends on the nature of injury and the worker's wages.

Employee welfare = services, facilities and amenities provided to workers over and above statutory wages; it may be statutory (mandated) or non-statutory (voluntary).

Statutory welfare under the Factories Act: drinking water, washing facilities, seating, first aid, canteens (250+ workers), restrooms/shelters (150+), crèches (30+ women), and welfare officers (500+).

Health provisions: cleanliness, ventilation, lighting, dust and fume control, overcrowding limits (14.2 cubic metres per worker), and occupational disease notification.

Safety provisions: guarding of machinery, hoists and lifts, pressure vessels, fire precautions, dangerous fumes, eye protection, and safety committees in larger plants.

Occupational health hazards: physical (noise, heat, radiation), chemical (dust, fumes, solvents), biological (bacteria, viruses) and ergonomic/psychosocial (repetitive strain, stress).

Accident causation: Heinrich's domino theory (unsafe acts/conditions), human factors, and the hierarchy of controls (elimination, substitution, engineering, administrative, PPE).

Working conditions: hours of work, shift systems, rest intervals, leave, lighting, temperature, ventilation, sanitation and workplace dignity.

Employee assistance and welfare schemes: medical aid, housing, transport, education allowances, cooperative credit, recreation and counselling.