Articles by K R Shyam Sundar

The Industrial Relations Code, one of the four labour codes codified from the erstwhile central labour laws, aims to promote the ease of doing business and spur investment by encouraging labour flexibility. A critical examination of the code suggests that it will fail to create a conducive and efficient industrial relations environment, and will neither promote the ease of doing business nor serve workers’ welfare.

The character of workers’ protests has significantly changed in the post-reform period thanks to the neo-liberal forces that have sought to weaken the collective institutions. However, the Central Trade Unions rely on general strikes to protest and demand changes. How effective is this form of agitation in present times?

It is with deep regret that I share the news of the sudden demise of Preet Rustagi, professor at the Institute for Human Development (IHD), New Delhi on 21 August 2017. She was all set to join the International Centre for Research on Women (ICRW) in New Delhi.

The processes of liberalisation, globalisation, and privatisation were expected to weaken the bargaining power of workers vis-à-vis employers and lead to a reduction in the number and frequency of industrial conflicts. However, the reform measures were in some cases successfully opposed by trade unions, and in some cases they also led to aggressive labour market practices by employers. This has resulted in tensions, work stoppages, and even violence. Even unorganised workers have participated in these agitations in a big way. This paper examines the features of industrial conflict using both official data and qualitative information as official statistics do not adequately capture the variety and dynamics of industrial conflicts.

The BJP government might have embarked on knee-jerk labour reform measures with an eye on the capital market, but sustainable goals on labour reforms can only be achieved through social dialogue. The absence and stagnation of social dialogue with regard to these reforms reveals the positional rigidities of all the constituent parties.