What are the recommendations of National Commission on labor?
What are the recommendations of National Commission on labor?
Ans.
National commission on labor made the following recommendation after considering the problem:
1. Government intervention in industrial relations, particularly in the settlement of industrial disputes, should be reduced gradually to the minimum possible extent. Compulsory adjudication of disputes should be used only as a last resort.
2. Trade unions should be strengthened both organisationally and financially by amending the Trade Union Act 1926 to make registration of unions compulsory, enhance the union membership fee, reduce the present presence of outsiders in the union executive and among the office bearers and increase the minimum number of members in respect of the union applying for registration.
3. Legal provision may be made either by a separate legislation or by amending on existing enactment for:
(a) Compulsory recognition of trade unions and certification of unions as bargaining agent.
(b) Prohibition and penalisation of unfair labor practices.
(c) Bargaining in good faith by both employers and unions.
(d) Conferring legal validity and legitimacy on collective agreements.
There are such provisions in the Maharashtra Recognition of Trade Unions and prevention of unfair Labour Practices Act 1972, but as this Act is applicable only to Maharashtra, there is the need for making such legislation applicable to the whole country.
4. Intensification of workers education for building up internal union leadership and making workers more knowledgeable and conscious about their rights and obligations. This may help to do de-politicise unions and also reduce union rivalry.
5. The idea of one union for one plant or one industry should be popularised and made a reality.
6. The Government should declare its policy to allow and encourage the parties to settle their conflicts and disputes through bipartite consultation and negotiation consistent with public safety and interest of the society in general.
All the above recommendations of the commission are under active consideration of the government. In fact the recommendation regarding prohibition and penalisation of unfair labor practices has already been implemented by amending the Industrial Dispute Act 1947 in 1982 and the amendment has been given effect to the Government has already introduced a bill for amending the Trade Union Act 1926, in the Parliament. If passed into a law, it will give effect to some more recommendations of the commission for improving the working of trade unions and this may further help the promotion of collective bargaining process in the country.
