INDUSTRIAL DISPUTES IN INDIA DURING THE YEAR-2003

PART– C 

                     INDUSTRIAL DISPUTES IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR  

3.1                   Analysis by Months:  Tables C-I (a) to C-I (h) relate to Industrial Disputes in the Public Sector by months. 

3.1.1                Tables C-I (a) and C-I (b) shows that a time-loss of 6.86 million mandays was recorded in the Public Sector in which Central Sphere had a share of 6.70 million mandays. The number of disputes in progress during the month was highest (12) in March and lowest (1 each) in August and November 2003. 

3.1.2     Month-wise figures of lockouts during 2003 have been presented in Table C-I(g). The number of lockouts in progress was highest (2) in January and lowest (1) in June. The time-loss on account of lockouts in Public Sector were recorded as 6.23 million mandays only in the Central Sphere while no case of Lockout was reported in respect of State Sphere during the year. 

3.2                   Analysis by States:  Tables C–II (a) to C-II (f) analyse Industrial Disputes in the Public Sector by States during the year 2002. 

3.2.1                It may be seen from Table C-II(a) that Andhra Pradesh accounted for the highest number of disputes (13 or 22.03 %) of the total number of disputes (59) in the Public Sector with the highest time loss (6.25 million mandays or 91.15 %) followed by Punjab (0.08 million mandays). Table C-II(d) reveals that Andhra Pradesh has the highest number of disputes 13 and time-loss (6.25 million mandays ) which took place in the Central Sphere. 

3.3                   Analysis by Industries:  Tables C–III (a) to C-III (d) are regarding Industrial Disputes by Industries in Public Sector during the year 2003. 

3.3.1                Table C-III (a) shows that during 2003 Mining of Coal and Lignite, Extraction of Peat (Industry code 10 ) accounted for the highest number of disputes (16) involving 0.77 million workers and a time-loss of 6.38 million mandays.  The Manufacturing Division (Industry code 15 to 37 ) accounted for a loss of 1,43,686 mandays with an involvement of 45,017 workers in 14 Industrial Disputes [Table C-III (a)]. 

3.3.2               Out of the total 59 disputes in the Public Sector, the information of production loss was available in respect of 22 disputes only. The production loss per dispute, for which relevant information was available, worked out to Rs. 1,24,87,170.  The data on wages lost which pertain to 47 disputes show that the wages lost per dispute worked out to Rs. 83,71,919.  The production loss per strike ( Table C-III (b) )for which relevant information was available worked out to the tune of Rs. 83,77,387 and Wages Lost per strike to Rs. 38,32,866 during the year. 

3.3.3               Table C-III (d) reveals that the ‘Coal Mines’ industry in the Central Sphere witnessed the maximum number of disputes, i.e. 16 or 42.11 per cent of the total number of disputes, which involved a time-loss of 6.38 million mandays or 95.20 per cent  to the total time-loss. 

3.4                   Analysis of Lockouts:  State-wise figures of both mixed lockouts and pure lockouts in the Public Sector during 2003 may be seen from Table C–IV (a). As can be seen therein, all the Lockouts in Public Sector were mixed lockouts (3) i.e., lockouts which were declared before or after the commencement of strikes and these accounted for 100.00 per cent  of the total time-loss in the Public Sector and in the Central Sphere during the year. 

3.4.1               It may be seen from the Table C–IV (a) that all the mixed lockouts in 2003 were from the State of Andhra Pradesh alone involving a total time-loss of 6.23 million mandays. Time-loss in respect of Strikes and Lockouts period was 6.17 million mandays and 0.06 million mandays respectively [Table C-IV (b)]. 

3.5                   Analysis by Causes:  Cause-wise distribution of figures of Industrial Disputes, workers involved therein and mandays lost thereby during the year 2003 have been shown in Tables C–V (a) to C-V (c). 

3.5.1                The cause group, ‘Charter of Demands’ accounted for the highest, 96.94 per cent  of the total time-loss of all disputes which was followed by ‘Bonus’ and ‘Wages and Allowances’ with 1.46 and 0.70 per cent  respectively. The number of disputes owing to the cause groups ‘Wages and Allowances’, ‘Personnel’, and ‘Indiscipline’ accounted for 62.71 per cent to the total number of disputes in Public Sector. The cause group ‘Charter of Demands’ alone recorded the highest time-loss of 99.15 per cent in Public Sector in the Central Sphere during the year 2003. 

3.5.2               The cause group ‘Charter of Demands’ was responsible for the highest time-loss (99.88 per cent ) due to lockouts in Public Sector in 2003. Next in order was the cause group ‘Personnel’ contributing to time-loss of 0.11 per cent. ( Table C-V(b) ). 

3.5.3               One Lockout arising due to cause group ‘Charter of Demands’ out of total 3 Lockouts accounted for a time loss of 6.22 million mandays (99.88 per cent) of the total time-loss in the Public Sector in the Central Sphere during the year. Another Lockout due to cause group ‘Personnel’ was the next in order with 0.11 per cent of the total time loss [Table C-V (c)]. 

3.6         Analysis by Duration:  Table C–VI presents the analysis of terminated disputes in Public Sector by duration during the year 2003. It may be seen that during the year 55.90 per cent  of the total number of terminated disputes lasted for ‘A day or less’, while ‘More than a day up to 5 days’ accounted for 20.30 per cent  of the total number of Terminated Disputes.