INDUSTRIAL DISPUTES IN INDIA DURING THE YEAR-2003

PART – B 

                                         INDUSTRIAL DISPUTES IN THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS (COMBINED)

2.1 Analysis by Months:  Month-wise statistics of industrial disputes, workers involved therein and mandays lost thereby during the year 2003 have been presented in Tables B-I (a) to B-I (i).

2.1.1     It is evident form Table B–I (a) that the highest number of disputes (49) started during the month of January followed by October (44) while the lowest number of disputes (14) started in the month of June. Table B-I (d) shows that the largest number of strikes started in the month of October (31) while the lowest number of strikes (9) started in the month of June. On the other hand, Table B–I (g) reveals that the lockouts were the maximum (27)in the month of January and minimum (4)in the month of December during the year under study. 

2.2 Analysis by States:  The statistics of Industrial Disputes by States and Union Territories during the year 2003 are presented in Tables B-II (a) to B-II (l). 

2.2.1       Table B-II (a) indicates that amongst the States, West Bengal accounted for the highest time-loss during 2003 (18.41 million mandays) followed by Andhra Pradesh (7.13 million mandays), Rajasthan (1.31 million mandays), Tamil Nadu (0.94 million mandays), Kerala (0.57 million mandays) and Maharashtra (0.55 million mandays). These States together accounted for 71.92 % of the total number of disputes, 84.38 % of the total number of workers involved and 95.53 % of the total time-loss during the year 2003. 

2.2.2              The statistics of Industrial Disputes during 2003 for the Central Sphere by States and Union Territories are presented in Table B-II (b). The number of disputes (13), workers involved (6,42,969) and mandays lost (62,49,686)was the highest in Andhra Pradesh. The Central Sphere accounted for 8.33 % of the total number of disputes, 61.05 % of the total number of workers involved and 22.22 % of the total time-loss in the country. In this sphere Andhra Pradesh alone accounted for the total of 3 lockouts, 6,24,930 workers involved and 6.23 million mandays lost during the year under study  [Table B – II (h)]. 

2.2.3              The statistics of time-loss, state-wise and month-wise presented in Table B–II (j) reveals that the highest time-loss ( 8.02 million mandays ) was recorded in the month of January 2003 followed by 2.51 million mandays in May 2003 and the minimum time-loss, 1.43 million mandays were recorded in the month of February 2003. Amongst the States, it is West Bengal which has reported the maximum time-loss (18.41 million mandays) followed by Andhra Pradesh (7.13 million mandays) and Rajashthan (1.31 million mandays). 

2.3                   Analysis by Industries:  The statistics pertaining to the number of disputes, workers involved, mandays lost, wages lost and production loss by industry have been presented in Tables B–III (a) to B-III (c) up to three digit level as per the National Industrial Classification – 1998. Table B-III (d) shows industry-wise disputes in the Central Sphere. 

2.3.1               Table B-III (a) reveals that amongst the industry groups, ‘Manufacturing Division’ ( Industry Codes 15 to 37 ) accounted for the highest number of disputes (353 or 63.95 per cent ) with 17.64 million mandays lost or 58.30 per cent  of the total time-loss. Within this industry division, ‘Manufacture of Textiles’ ( Industry Code 17 )accounted for the largest time-loss ( 12.61 million mandays or 71.47 per cent  ) of the total time-loss in 'Manufacturing Division' followed by industry groups, ‘Manufacturing of Fabricated Metal Products except Machinery and Equipment’ (Industry Code 28 ) and Manufacture of other Transport Equipment’ (Industry Code 35 ) which together accounted for a time-loss of 1.68 million mandays or 9.54 per cent of the total time-loss in ‘Manufacturing Sector’. The industry group, ‘Mining of coal and Lignite; Extraction of Peat’ (Industry code 10 ), accounted for 6.38 million mandays time-loss or 21.09 percent followed by ‘Agriculture, Hunting and Related Service Activities’ ( Industry Code 01 ) which accounted for 2.93 million mandays time-loss or 9.67 per cent  of the total time-loss during the year under study. 

2.3.2     Information of industrial disputes by industries in respect of the Central Sphere has been shown in Table B–III (d). It reveals that ‘Coal Mines’ accounted for the largest time-loss (6.38 million mandays) in the Central Sphere during 2003. Second in order was the industry group ‘Banks’ (0.22 million mandays). Taken together both these industry groups accounted for 98.12 per cent  of the total time-loss in the Central Sphere during the year. 

2.4           Analysis of Time-loss per 1,000 workers:  Time-loss per 1,000 workers employed in Manufacturing, Plantations (from 2000 onwards relates to Crops, Market gardening and Horticulture as per NIC – 1998) and Coal Mines Sector is presented in Table B–IV. It can be seen from the Table that as compared to 2002, the relative volume of time-loss during the year 2003 increased in all sectors except in Manufacturing Sector. The decrease was 21.19 per cent in Manufacturing, while the increase was 61.75 per cent  in Crops, Market gardening and Horticulture and 942.81 per cent in Coal Mines. The time-loss per thousand workers also increased in all Sectors except in Manufacturing Sector. 

2.5         Analysis of Lockouts:  Table B–V (a) shows that during the year 2003, out of 297 lockouts, as many as 290 or 97.64 per cent  were pure lockouts (i.e., lockouts originating and terminating as lockouts). These were responsible for a time-loss of 20.50 million mandays or 75.77 per cent of the total time-loss caused by all lockouts in the country. As many as 211 of the pure lockouts were in the state of West Bengal and these were responsible for a time-loss of 16.71 million mandays or 81.51 per cent of the total time-loss caused by pure lockouts. 

2.5.1     Table B-V (b) reveals that in the year 2003, out of total time-loss due to mixed lockouts ( 65,53,777 mandays), 63,64,437 mandays (97.11 per cent ) accounted towards the strike period and 1,89,340 mandays (2.89 per cent ) towards the lockout period. Out of the 7 disputes in which lockouts were preceded / succeeded by strikes, 4 occurred in the State of West Bengal alone 

2.6         Analysis of Major Industrial Disputes:  Major Industrial Disputes mean those disputes, which involve a time-loss of 50,000 or more mandays. Table B–VI reveals that during the year 2003, 83 major industrial disputes took place, which accounted for a time-loss of 25.87 million mandays. Out of 83 major industrial disputes, only 3.61 per cent  belonged to Public Sector with a time-loss of 6.37 million man days or 24.61 per cent.  Although major industrial disputes contributed only 15.04 per cent of the total number of disputes, yet they were responsible for 85.49 per cent  of the total time-loss in the country. Among the states West Bengal topped with a time-loss of 15.99 million mandays i.e., 61.81 per cent of the total time-loss through major industrial disputes. 

2.7                   Analysis by Causes:  Cause-wise distribution of Industrial disputes along with the number of workers involved and mandays lost have been presented in Tables B–VII (a) to B–VII (f). In the case of the work-stoppages resulted due to several causes, the immediate cause leading to the work stoppage is taken into consideration. 

2.7.1     Table B–VII (a) & (b) reveal that in 2003 Industrial Disputes on account of ‘Wages and Allowances’ and ‘Bonus’ accounted for 7.47 per cent  of the total time-loss. While non-monetary cause groups ‘Indiscipline’ and ‘Charter of Demands’ accounted for 47.48 per cent  and 27.10 per cent  respectively to the total time-loss. Table VII (b) reveals that ‘Wages and Allowances’ accounted for 0.42 per cent  of the total time-loss in the Central Sphere. ‘Indiscipline’ accounted for 0.21 per cent  and ‘Charter of Demands’ accounted for 99.06 per cent  of the total time-loss in the Central Sphere. 

2.7.2     Table B–VII (d) shows that the 174 lockouts arising due to ‘Indiscipline’ alone accounted for 58.59 per cent of the total number of lockouts and resulted in a time-loss of 52.90 per cent. Lockouts due to ‘Charter of demands’ accounted for a time loss of 26.17 per cent, while those due to ‘Wages and Allowances’ and ‘Bonus’ together resulted in a time-loss of 5.56 per cent of the total time-loss in 2003. 

2.7.3               The Cause group ‘Wages and Allowances’ among the causes accounted for the maximum number of strikes, i.e., 31.60 per cent with a  time-loss of 16.67 per cent  while ‘Charter of Demands’ registered in maximum time-loss of 25.23 per cent of the total time-loss in the State Sphere as revealed by Table B-VII (f). 

2.8         Analysis by Duration:  Table B–VIII reveals that the percentage share of disputes to the total disputes which lasted for ‘more than 30 days’ was the highest (35.2 per cent ) among all the class-intervals of duration. Second in order was ‘more than 5 days and upto 10 days’ which accounted for 15.5 per cent  to the total disputes during the year. 

2.9         Terminated Disputes by Normal Employment Size of Units Affected: ‘Normal Employment Size’ means the number of workers employed on the last working day of the month preceding the month in which the work-stoppage takes place. 

2.9.1     It can be seen from the Table B–IX that class-intervals employing ‘100 or more but less than 500’ workers accounted for 36.57 per cent of the total number of terminated disputes in 2003 followed by ‘1000 or more workers’ accounting for 24.38 per cent.  The big establishments employing ‘1000 or more workers’ accounted for the highest percentage 84.84 of time-loss to the total number of mandays lost due to Terminated Disputes during 2003 and the small establishments employing less than 50 workers accounted for the least time loss of 0.48 per cent to the total time-loss due to Terminated Disputes. 

2.10                Analysis by Methods of Settlements and Results:  Figures showing the number of disputes terminated by different methods of Settlement and their results are presented in Table B–X. It is interesting to note that in the year 2003, ‘Mutual Settlement’ and ‘Government intervention’ played a significant role in bringing about successful and partially successful settlements of disputes during the year under study. 

2.11                Analysis of All India Strikes / Lockouts:  One All India Strike took place on 21.05.2003 of various Industries on 8 points Charter of Demands and resulted in a time-loss of 0.43 million mandays as revealed in Table B – XI. 

2.12                Analysis of Go-Slow Cases:  Three cases of Go-slow were reported from Madhya Pradesh relating to Textile Industry (Industry code- 17, NIC- 1998 ), which involved 2,574 Workers with a time-loss of 43,198 mandays during the year 2003 ( Tables B-XII to B – XIV ).