STATISTICS ON  INDUSTRIAL DISPUTES, CLOSURES, RETRENCHMENTS AND LAY-OFFS IN INDIA DURING THE YEAR 2006

Chapter-2

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 2006 have been presented in Tables 2(I)(a) to 2(I)(h).

2.1.1      It is evident form Table 2(I)(a) that the highest number of disputes (41) started during the month of December followed by February (33) while the lowest number of disputes (15) each started in the months of March and November. Table 2(I)(b) shows that the large number of disputes started in the month of December (16) while the lowest number of disputes (1) started in the months of November and 2 each in March, April and October, 2006 in Central Sphere. On the other hand, Table 2(I) (c) reveals that the highest number of disputes in State Sphere started in the months of December (25) and (20) each in January and May, 2006. Table 2(I)(d) shows that the maximum number of strikes on all-India basis started in the month of December (38) and lowest (10) in March, whereas the highest number of lockouts (9) started in the month of May and least number of lockouts (1) were started in August during the year 2006.  Table 2(I)(g) reveals that the highest number of Lockouts started during the months of May and January (9) and (8) respectively while the lowest (1) and (2) in August and September during the year under study

2.2            Analysis by States:  The statistics of Industrial Disputes by States and Union Territories during the year 2006 are presented in Tables 2(II) (a) to 2(II) (g).

2.2.1       Table 2(II) (a) indicates that amongst the States, West Bengal, as usual, accounted for the highest time-loss during 2006 (12.52 million mandays) followed by Andhra Pradesh (2.41 million mandays), Rajasthan (1.33 million mandays), Tamil Nadu (0.72 million mandays), Uttar Pradesh (0.50 million mandays). These Five States together accounted for as much as 66.51 per cent of the total number of disputes, 51.36 per cent of the total number of workers involved and 86.02 per cent of the total time-loss during the year 2006.

2.2.2                The statistics on Industrial Disputes during 2006 for the Central Sphere by States and Union Territories are presented in Table 2(II) (b). The highest number of disputes (20), workers involved (0.53 million workers) and mandays lost (0.71 million mandays) was recorded in West Bengal, followed by Kerala (0.15 million workers).  The Central Sphere accounted for 18.60 per cent of the total number of disputes, 90.92 per cent of the total number of workers involved and 13.36 per cent of the total time-loss in the country.  There was no case of lockout reported in Central Sphere during the year 2006.

2.2.3                The data on time-loss, state-wise and month-wise are presented in Table No’s 2(II) (i) to 2(II)(k) combined of State and Central Spheres and separately for State and Central Spheres.  Table B-II(i)  reveals that the highest time-loss (2.79 million mandays ) was recorded in the month of April 2006 followed by 2.01  million mandays in July 2006  and the lowest time-loss, (1.13 million mandays) was recorded in the month of September 2006. Amongst the States, it was West Bengal which had reported the maximum time-loss (12.52 million mandays) followed by Andhra Pradesh (2.41 million mandays) and Rajasthan (1.33 million mandays). 

2.3                   Analysis by Industries: Statistics pertaining to the number of disputes, workers involved, mandays lost, wages lost and production loss by industry have been presented in Tables 2(III) (a) to 2(III) (c) up to three digit level as per the National Industrial Classification – 1998. Table 2(III) (d) shows industry-wise disputes, workers involved, mandays lost, wages lost and production loss in the Central Sphere.

2.3.1                Table 2(III) (a) reveals that amongst the industry groups, ‘Manufacturing Division’ (Industry Codes 15 to 37) accounted for the highest number of disputes (259 or 60.23 per cent) with 14.17 million mandays lost or 69.72 per cent of the total time-loss. Within this industry division, ‘Manufacture of Textiles’ ( Industry Code 17 ) accounted for the largest time-loss       ( 9.62 million mandays or 67.91 per cent  ) of the total time-loss in 'Manufacturing Division' followed by industry groups, ‘Manufacture of Other Transaport Equipment’ (Industry Code 35 ) and Manufacture of Machinery and Equipment N.E.C.’ (Industry Code 29 ) which together accounted for a time-loss of 1.72 million mandays or 12.13 per cent of the total time-loss in ‘Manufacturing Sector’. The industry group, ‘Agriculture, Hunting and Related Service Activities’ ( Industry Code 01 ) accounted for 3.00 million mandays time-loss or 14.76 per cent of the total time loss during the year 2006.

2.3.2      Industrial disputes by industries in respect of the Central Sphere have been shown in Table 2(III) (d). It reveals that ‘Banks’ accounted for the highest number of disputes (44), workers involved (1.34 million workers) and  time-loss (2.33 million mandays) in the Central Sphere during 2006. Second in order was the industry group ‘Coal Mines’ (0.16 million mandays). Taken together these two industry groups accounted for 91.88 per cent of the total time-loss in the Central Sphere during the year 2006.

2.4           Analysis of Time-loss per 1,000 workers:  Data on time-loss per 1,000 workers employed in Manufacturing, Plantations (The data related to Crops, Market, Gardening and Horticulture as per NIC – 1998 is from 2000 onwards) and Coal Mines Sector have been presented in Table 2(IV). It can be seen from the Table that as compared to 2005, the relative volume of time-loss during the year 2006 decreased in all sectors. The decrease was 26.68 per cent in Manufacturing, 45.22 per cent in Crops, Market, gardening and Horticulture (Plantations) and 67.67 per cent in Coal Mines. The time-loss per thousand workers also decreased in all Sectors.

2.5         Analysis of Lockouts:  Table 2(V) (a) shows that during the year 2006, out of total 187  lockouts, as many as 186 or 99.47 per cent were pure lockouts (i.e., lockouts originating and terminating as lockouts). These were responsible for a time-loss of 14.98 million mandays or 99.80 per cent of the total time-loss caused by all lockouts in the country. As many as 144 (77.42 per cent) of the pure lockouts were in the state of West Bengal and these were responsible for a time-loss of 11.73 million mandays or 78.32 per cent of the total time-loss caused by pure lockouts.

2.5.1      Table 2(V) (b) reveals that in the year 2006, out of total time-loss due to mixed lockouts (29520 mandays), 5400 mandays (18.29 per cent) accounted towards the strike period and 24,120 mandays (81.71 per cent) towards the lockout period. There was only one dispute in which lockout were preceded / succeeded by strike, which occurred in Uttar Pradesh.

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 2(VI) reveals that during the year 2006, as many as 69 major industrial disputes took place, which accounted for a time-loss of 16.64 million mandays. Out of these 69 major industrial disputes, only 23.19 per cent occurred in Public Sector with a time-loss of 1.40 million mandays or 8.40 per cent.  Although major industrial disputes contributed only 16.05 per cent of the total number of disputes, yet they were responsible for 81.85 per cent of the total time-loss in the country. Among the states inclusive of State and Central Spheres West Bengal topped with a time-loss of 11.02 million mandays i.e., 66.22 per cent of the total time-loss in these 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 2(VII) (a) to 2(VII) (e). In the case of work-stoppages which resulted due to several causes, the immediate cause leading to the work stoppage is taken into consideration.

2.7.1      Table 2(VII) (a) & (b) reveal that in 2006 disputes on ‘Wages and Allowances’ and ‘Bonus’ accounted for 22.16 per cent of the total time-loss. In Non-monetary group the ‘Indiscipline’ and ‘Personnel’ accounted for 57.87 per cent and 3.67 per cent respectively to the total time-loss. Table VII (b) reveals that ‘Wages and Allowances’ accounted for 44.34 per cent of the total time-loss in the Central Sphere. The ‘Charter of Demands’ accounted for 19.17 per cent, ‘Government Economic Policy’ 22.60 per cent, ‘Personnel’ 10.06 per cent and ‘other reasons’ 3.77 per cent of the total time loss in Central Sphere in the country during 2006. The highest number of disputes (32 or 40.00 per cent) were reported in Central Sphere due to “Charter of Demands” followed by “Wages and Allowances” (16 or 20 per cent) during the year under study.

2.7.2      Table 2(VII)(c) reveals that the time-loss in the State Sphere due to Industrial Disputes on account of “Wages and Allowances” accounted for 17.85 per cent and the largest percentage of time loss 66.79 per cent was due to ‘Indiscipline”.  The highest number of Disputes were reported due to “Indiscipline” (145 or 41.43 per cent) followed by ‘Wages and Allowances’ (63 or 18.00 per cent).

2.7.3      Table 2(VII) (d) shows that 132 lockouts arising due to ‘Indiscipline’ alone accounted for 70.59 per cent of the total number of lockouts and resulted in a time-loss of 77.94 per cent of the total. Lockouts due to ‘Wages and Allowances’ and ‘Bonus’ together accounted for a time loss of 7.91 per cent, while those due to ‘Other Reasons’ resulted in a time-loss of 8.98 per cent of the total time-loss in 2006.

2.7.4         In the State Sphere, ‘Wages and Allowances’ accounted for maximum number of strikes 30.06 per cent with a time loss of 78.61 per cent followed by ‘Personnel’ registering a time loss of 8.02 per cent with 23.31 per cent strikes and ‘Charter of Demands’ 2.76 per cent of the total time loss as revealed by the Table 2(VII)(e).

2.8       Analysis by Duration:  Table 2(VIII) reveals that the percentage share of disputes to the total disputes which lasted for ‘a day or less’ was the highest 31.27 per cent among all the class-intervals of duration. Second in order was ‘more than 30 days’ which accounted for 22.91 per cent to the total disputes during the year.

2.9       Analysis by Methods of Settlements and Results:  Table 2(IX) reveals the statistics relating to number of disputes terminated by different methods of Settlement and their result. It is interesting to note that in the year 2006, ‘Mutual Settlement’ and ‘Voluntary Resumption by Employees’ played a significant role in bringing about successful and partially successful settlements of disputes during the year under study.

2.10         Analysis of All India Strikes / Lockouts:  Four All India Strikes took place on 03-04-2006, 28-07-2006, 27-10-2006 and 14-12-2006 in Nationalized Banks, and in various Central Undertakings on account of ‘Wages and Allowances’, ‘Personnel’, ‘Charter of Demands’ and ‘Government Economic Policy’ and resulted in a time loss of 2.4 million mandays as is revealed in Table 2(X).