What are Industrial Relations?
The concept of Industrial relations has been defined using various terminologies, but in the strictest sense, it is essentially the relationship between management and labor. The full concept of industrial relations is the organization and practice of multi-pronged relationships between labor and management, unions and labor, unions and management in an industry. Dale Yoder defines it as a "whole field of relationships that exists because of the necessary collaboration of men and women in the employment process of an industry."
Role of Industrial Relations:
Industrial relations are associated with labor, management, labor unions, and the state. The scene of industrial relations has grown tremendously, and cannot be represented merely by relations between management and labor. It has become a comprehensive and total concept embracing the sum total of relationship that exists at various levels of the organizational structure. Additionally, it connotes relationships between workers themselves within the labor class, and relations among the management within the managerial class. In an open sense, industrial relations denote all types of relations within a group and outside a group - both formal and informal relations.
Objectives of Industrial Relations:
1. Protect management and labor interests by securing mutual relations between the two groups.
2. Avoid disputes between management and labor, and create a harmonizing relationship between the groups so productivity can be increased.
3. Ensure full employment and reduce absenteeism, hence, increasing productivity and profits.
4. Emphasize labor employer partnership to establish and maintain industrial democracy. This is done to ensure the sharing of profit gains, and personal developmental of all all employees.
5. Provide better wages and living conditions to labor, so misunderstandings between management and labor are reduced to a minimum.
6. To bring about government control over plants where losses are running high, or where products are produced in the public interest.
7. To bridge a gap between various public factions and reshape the complex social relationships emerging out of technological advances by controlling and disciplining members, and adjusting their conflicts of interests.
