From 50 Years Ago-The Indian Industrial Worker: His Origin, Experience and Destiny

Baldev R Sharma

One of the parties actively involved in a situation of industrial relations conflict or harmony is, of course, the industrial worker. While it is customary to trace back industrial relations conflict and co-operation to the so-called nuts-and-bolts of the situation (e g, wages, dearness allowance, bonus and the like), we seem to forget the basic fact that conflict and co-operation between people and groups begin and end with human beings. Therefore, to talk of industrial relations in terms of the so-called substantive issues without looking at the human beings who are involved in the situation will at best be a partial approach. Let me hasten to add that, by the same logic, to talk of industrial relations in terms of the social-psychological factors (as I promise to do in this paper), without looking at the substantive issues, would be equally partial!