Review

Author(s): S. P. S. Ahluwalia
Review by: S. P. S. Ahluwalia
Source: Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, Vol. 27, No. 3 (Jan., 1992), p. 318
Published by: Shri Ram Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/27767211
Accessed: 29-12-2015 13:53 UTC

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UIR, Vol 27, No. 3, January, 1992

INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS AND LABOUR LAWS IN INDIA

byMX. MONGA, Deep and Deep. 1983, pp. 295, price: Rs.85/

IndustrialRelations and Labour Laws in India has since long been amind boggling
equation. IndustrialRelations?the interactionbetween the three actors, theman
agement, theunions/workemen and theState isguided and shaped to a large extent
by the industrial law, the country has provided for itself.The most important
function of industrial law is also to promote constructive industrial relations
between employers and employees with the aim of achieving higher productivity
and growth. The achievement of this aim, depends to a large extent, upon; (1) The
objectivity of the labour laws, (2) The quality of the Labour Laws, and (3)
Implementation of these laws.
The book under review deals with the thirdelement i.e. The implementation
of Labour Laws in the state of Haryana. The author has selected The Industrial
Disputes Act, 1947; The IndustrialEmployment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946; The
Factories Act, 1948; The PaymentWages Act, 1936; The Minimum Wages Act,
1948; and other Social Security Legislations. The implementation of these laws
was studied in six industrial units-five from theprivate sector and one from state
owned public sector. Data collected from these units have been analysed to find
out whether the statuteswere being implemented and towhat extent.
The findings highlight that there has been inadequate enforcementmachin
ery, lack of effective penalities, and inadequate dissemination of knowledge of
laws. The book suggests a greater effective role of the State Government to
overcome the lacunae. Itmay be noted that the titleof the book promises much
more than the scope of the book e.g. it suggests an all India base study although
it is restricted to six units in the state of Haryana. The title, furthermoresuggests
an interfacebetween Labour Laws and IndustrialRelations and thebook does not
reflect on implications of the non-implementation of statues on the Industrial
Relations scene in the state of Haryana.
The study is conducted on theworkmen only and itcould verywell be true that
their lack of education would directly contribute to an ignorance of labour laws.
Some of the questions taken up in the study could be answered more effectively
if the supervisory and management staffwas also included in the sample.
Since the findingsof th? study are based on thedata collected few years back,
itmay be pertinent for some scholar tomake a comparative analyses in the studied
units. None-the-less, the authorities concerned with implementation of Labour
Legislation in the state of Haryana could draw lessions from the findings of the
study.

Consultant, Industrial Relations S.P.S. Ahluwalia

and Organisational Development,
New Delhi

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