Snack Shortage Sparks Tool Downtime: How Would You Handle This Industrial Relations Challenge?

Case No. 1: Snack Shortage at Jay Engineering Works

In Jay Engineering Works, after a three-month strike, work had resumed. However, on the very first day of the resumption of work, there was a problem due to a shortage of snacks in the first shift, which resulted in a tool downtime.

In the first shift on the day of work resumption, Samosas were served as snacks for breakfast. The normal rule was that each workman should take only two pieces of snacks. However, as the Samosas were tasty, the workmen started consuming more than two Samosas, leading to a shortage.

Ashok, a workman known for being reasonable and considered close to the management, arrived late at the canteen. Upon finding no Samosas available, he raised a fuss and insisted on being served Samosas, refusing any other snack offered by the Canteen Officer.

The Canteen Officer, unable to provide Samosas, offered biscuits instead, which Ashok declined. Ashok then took his grievance to the Union Committee members, who saw an opportunity to sway him to their side. They threatened a tool downtime if Ashok's issue was not addressed.

Despite the Canteen Officer's repeated offer of biscuits as an alternative, the Union Committee members called for a tool downtime. Consequently, the activities at Jay Engineering Works came to a halt.

As a Personnel Manager of this Company, how would you handle this case?

Managing Snack Shortages in the Workplace

1) How can workers have more samosas when there is a presence of the canteen committee and canteen officer?

2) If union members will be happy only after having samosas, then the canteen officer should arrange samosas from outside.

Handling Union-Related Incidents in the Workplace

As I read the incident, I think it's not a big issue. However, for any union members or other individuals who are not in favor of the company, this situation presents a great opportunity to demonstrate their power or strength. According to the HR manager, it is essential for HR personnel to build their own network with company people and form a group that can stand against the union when necessary. Perhaps this was a planned incident orchestrated by the union members or someone else. In such cases, we need to identify the individuals who served more than two snacks.

Furthermore, as an HR manager, it is crucial for any manager to handle the situation personally. It is more effective to have a senior control the situation rather than a junior. Avoid being aggressive, as any strong action can be harmful to both you and the company. As an HR professional, you must consider all aspects of the situation.

As an HR professional, recognize that this may be just the beginning of a problem, and more issues may arise in the future. Try to resolve the matter promptly and devise a plan to manage similar future activities. Identify those who served more than two snacks and determine if they are management-supported or union-supported individuals. Inquire about the reasons behind their actions, whether voluntary or otherwise. If there are multiple individuals involved, segregate them into different shifts, groups, or departments to prevent interaction.

In conclusion, it is essential to create a team within the organization that can act as management representatives. Establish a network to stay informed about all activities in your facility. Do not fear and be prepared to address challenges.

Thank you.

It is really a mouthwatering problem. So tempting. No wonder Ashok got angry. One probable solution can be to ask the chef not to make samosas so tasty. Wait, it is only in the lighter vein.

Addressing the Industrial Relations Issue

In my view, the following approach can be of help:

1. Call the union and Ashok, and explain that the canteen has made an adequate number of samosas as per the norms. The shortage has been created by consuming more samosas than their quota by some workers. It is the workers who violated the norms, not the management. Therefore, the tool-down strike is unjustified.

2. Mr. Ashok came late to the canteen. Had he come within the stipulated hours, he would have received samosas. Thus, Mr. Ashok, by being late, denied samosas to himself. The management cannot be held responsible for this, making the tool-down strike unjustified.

3. Explain to the union that providing samosas at any time cannot be a condition of service or term of employment. Therefore, the union cannot resort to a tool-down strike over this issue.

4. Based on the above points, the tool-down strike is illegal and unjustified and should be immediately called off.

5. If it is not called off, the management can initiate disciplinary action against workers who spearheaded the tool-down strike for refusing to work as per the standing orders or service rules.

Regards,
B. Saikumar

In my opinion, creating a row over serving samosas to a worker who has been loyal to the management will mean destroying a vital link. Call up Ashok and tell him explicitly that the canteen officer will either arrange for a couple of samosas from outside or prepare two fresh samosas and serve him as soon as they are ready. Do not offer more than his entitlement just to please him, as this will set a wrong precedent. Also, arguing that some workers consumed more than their quota will be futile as you may not have evidence for it. They may counter-argue that fewer samosas were prepared, and this was the reason for the shortage, and you must have some process to verify before food is being served.

Giving this consideration to Ashok will thwart the opponents' move to drag him to their side. Ashok will have a feeling that as he has supported the management, the management is returning his gratitude.

Having done this, the tools-down strike will be withdrawn. Thereafter, call the union members and suggest or even insist that a canteen committee is formed comprising of management representatives and union members to ensure quality, quantity, and equitable distribution of food. This will ensure that such problems do not arise in the future, and even if they arise, the workmen are also a party to it.

One may wonder why the personnel manager should arrange for fresh samosas/buy samosas instead of refusing to budge.

The personnel manager felt that the time taken to prepare two samosas would be about an hour, and if they are bought, it could be just half the time. However, on the other hand, the loss to the management is quite huge.

Considering a workforce of 80 people, the loss of each hour will equate to 80 precious man-hours, equivalent to 10 mandays (80/8 hours = 10 mandays). Added to this is the loss of goodwill amongst the workmen, delay in delivery commitment to the customer (as there has already been a substantial delay caused due to the strike), cascading effect on the production flow, possible sabotage to tools and equipment by workers taking advantage of the already surcharged atmosphere. Remember, work has commenced only on that day after three months of strike. Also, consider the loss of man-hours of top management people to sort out the issue.

Customers will also start losing confidence in the management because on the very first day of restarting, there has been a tools-down strike, and this message will affect the prospects of future business. Customers will be very keen to know the status of their orders and will be keenly watching the company, and such a nasty turn will deter them from giving future orders.

If all these are added, the notional loss to the management will be much higher than the time taken to prepare a couple of samosas or even to buy them from outside.

Ego is not important when dealing with canteen issues but resolving it at the appropriate time.

It may appear to be a win-lose situation for workmen and management, but it is, in fact, a win-win situation when we consider it from the overall perspective.

Once the canteen committee is in place, the members of the committee from the workmen's side will be under tremendous pressure and will try to iron out issues without causing undue hindrance. They will ensure all workers get an equitable share and will have the courage to deny workers their entitlement when they come late and start complaining.

However, it is important to define the scope and functioning of the canteen committee, as if they are vested with too much power, you may end up in a problem.

This is purely my view and may not be the only solution. I am sure that several learned members of this forum will share their expertise on this.

Regards

I agree with all respected members' opinions. In this case, there is a simple solution without wasting much time. Mr. Ashok should have been provided with samosas by the canteen officer from outside instead of making a big issue and also considering his close relation to management.

I agree with Easwar. The manager must take action on the canteen officer and make him arrange the same edible items from outside. The canteen officer should have prepared a proper distribution system. In the future, a proper system is the only solution to avoid these kinds of small issues in an organization or industrial atmosphere.

Regards,
Kingsly