How Can I Resolve Worker Strikes and Gherao in a Manufacturing Setup with Limited Support?

Dear Senior IR Experts,

I am working in a manufacturing setup where workers are not highly educated, resulting in their lack of understanding of company policies and notices. They continuously present their demands to management, which the management is unable to fulfill due to company policy restrictions. Additionally, the trade union representatives are not providing support. The workers have resorted to illegal strikes and gherao.

I kindly request your suggestions on how to resolve these matters. Moreover, I seek guidance on what legal actions I can take against these individuals.

Regards,
Sonu

Hi Sonu,

I think if such a situation is arising in your organization, management needs to take some serious steps for it.

First of all, please let us know whether there is a recognized union or not. If yes, try to call the representatives of the union and communicate the exact policies/decisions of your management. Also, try to convince them that if such policies are being communicated to union representatives, they are supposed to be relayed to the workers. In such a case, if the union representatives are not conveying the information to the workers and the workers are directly arguing with you, you have the right to issue show cause notices or take suitable disciplinary actions against them. Please refer to the Industrial Dispute Act for more details.

Also, relook at the policies/decisions taken by management and assess their pros and cons. If needed, propose some alternative solutions/options to prevent such industrial relation issues.

I hope you could try some of the above remedies.

Regards,

Atul Malve