Contemporary Issues in Labour Relations in Nepal

Labour relations determinate sharply immediately after reinstallation of democracy in Nepal. Union activities have subsided in the privatized units. Labour strike, agitation and protests are still going on in some enterprises. In the case of extreme disputes, almost all workers took voluntary retirement. The need for the government to undertake responsibility to pay

gratuity or other termination benefits without any commensurate change in the price of the enterprise may have affected seriously the actual realization. There is a sincere need to value the price of enterprise on the basis of workers retention or retirement or other pertinent conditionality.

The following are the major contemporary issues in labour relations in Nepal:

1. Suspicious management: The Nepalese management has remained suspicious of trade unions and their activities. It has taken a confrontation oriented reactive approach to labour relation wherever these is industrial unset or strike management reacts. There is a need of change in the attitude of management towards unions. Instead of using reactive approach, the management should adopt the supportive approach to the unions, which will not only smoothen the relationship between the management and unions but will also chances of increased productivity.
2. Collective bargaining: Industries of Nepal have lack of collective bargaining. Getting an optimum bargaining for both groups is important and for that is need of professionals specializing in collective bargaining. Training should be given to the members of each party which will enhance their skill in negotiating and bargaining.
3. Quality of work-life: In theory, QWL (Quality of Work Life) are simple. It involves giving workers the opportunity to make decisions about their jobs, the design of their workplaces, and what they need to make products or to deliver services most effectively. It requires managers to treat workers with dignity on the job. Its focus is on employees and management operating the business together.
4. Grievance handling: A grievance handling procedure should be based on a policy statement to the effect that employees should be given a fair hearing by their immediate supervisor or manager covering any grievances that may wish to raise have the right to appeal to a more senior manager against a decision made by their supervisor or manager have the right to be accompanied by a follow employee of their own choice when raising a grievance or appealing against a decision. The procedure should be staged as follows:
1. The initial hearing by the immediate supervisor or manager.
2. If a satisfactory conclusion is not reacted at that meeting, a hearing with a more senior manager.
3. The right of final appeal to a director or equivalent. Time limits should be laid down for the intervals between meetings.
4. Training and skill development when the training proposal for the staff to the management to improve the working condition, the management usually sees it as with the worthless to spend the money and sees it as unnecessary expenses. This concept should be changed of as to encourage the employee in getting good productivity.
5. Labour policy: Nepal lacks a comprehensive labour policy. There is need of formulation of comprehensive labour policy to manage labour relations. It should be in conformity with the management needs and socio-political realities of the country.
6. Evolving legal framework: Nepal needs an evolving legal framework improving labour relations. The industrial unrest and disputes are growing. There is need of efficiency implementing the existing laws and develop a comprehensive legal framework.

  SOME RELATED LINKS  

• Concept of Labour Relation

• Meaning of Unionism | Process of Unionization | Labour Legislation

• Collective Bargaining

• Meaning of Discipline and Grievance | Grievance Handling Procedures

• Causes of Labour Disputes in Nepalese Organization

Behavioral Approach of Job Design

Behavioral Approach

This approach considers behavioral factors in job design. Employee needs in terms of autonomy, variety, task identify, task significance, and feedback are considered. The methods are:

a) Job Enrichment: It adds new sources of satisfaction to jobs. Jobs are made challenging and meaningful by increasing responsibilities are added to the job, usually with less supervision and more self-evaluation. workers get greater autonomy in planning and controlling their performance. It is also known as "vertical loading" of job. The steps in job environment are

• Select jobs, which are suitable for enrichment; identify changes needed.
• Change contents of the job to provide autonomy, control responsibility, achievement, and advancement.
• Train and guide employees.
• Integrate enriched jobs into work schedule.

Advantages

Disadvantages

- It leads to increased motivation and job satisfaction. - It satisfies higher level needs of the employees; job outcomes improve; job status increases. - It stimulates improvements in other areas of the organization. - It empowers employees; provides feedback to correct performances. - It leads to reduce turnover and lower absenteeism; employee development is facilitated.

- Unions may resist job enrichment; employees may refuse to accept enriched jobs with new responsibilities. - The costs of design and implementation are high for job enrichment; training costs can be high. - It focuses on the job only and ignores other variables that contribute to quality of work life (QWL). - Managers may be unwilling to delegate authority; supportive work environment may be lacking. - Job enrichment is only a tool; it is not universally applicable, it is situation specific.

b) Autonomous Teams (Self-directed Team): Autonomous teams are a group of employees with widely defined jobs and responsibilities to achieve specific goal. Team members are: highly committed; decide collectively; interact continuously; work closely, determine work assignments and working methods and practice self-supervision.

Advantages	Disadvantages
- Autonomous teams generally achieve high productivity and quality. - Supervision costs are reduced. - Team spirit with employee empowerment is realized. - Greater involvement of employees in decision making; greater employees commitment.	- Employees, managers and unions resist autonomous teams. - Cooperation among team members may be difficult. - Efficiency of the team may be low.

c) Modified Works Schedules: The work schedule is modified. The techniques can be

• Shorter work week; worker work ten hours each day for four days. It provides mere leisure to employees. Turnover and reduced absenteeism.
• Flexible time
• Job sharing
• Homework

Organizational Outcomes of HRM System

Organizational Outcomes of HRM System

The organizational outcomes of HRM are:

1. Quality of work life (QWL): Quality of work life refers to the quality of relationships between employees and total working environment of the organization. It is concerned with overall climate of work for better quality of work life. There are two ways of looking at what QWL means. One way equates QWL with a set of objective organizational conditions and practices (e.g. job enrichment, democratic supervision, employee involvement, and safe working conditions). The other way equates QWL with employee’s perceptions that they are safe, relatively well satisfied, and able to grow and develop as human beings. This way relates QWL to the degree to which the full range of human needs is met.
2. Productivity: Productivity is a measure of the output of goods and services relative to the input labor, material and equipment. The more costs are lower. Improving productivity simply means getting more out of what is put in. it does not mean production through the addition of resources, such as time, money, material or people. It is doing better with what we have improving productivity is not working harder; it is working smarter. Today’s world demands that we do more with less-fewer people, less money, less time, less space and fewer resources in general. Some of the increase in manufacturing productivity is undoubtedly due to wide spread automation in the factory.
3. Readiness for change: Change is quite complex process. Change is a fact of life. It is a nature of human being that nobody instantly becomes ready for the change. Employee tends to resist change. The main reasons for such resistance are

• Fear of unknown: Change may bring uncertainty creates problems. Employee like old ways and fear uncertainty.
• Security: Employee may fear threat to job security.
• Habit: Employee resists to change due to old habit.
• Misunderstanding: Employee may not understand the purpose of change by management. 
• Social factors: Employees may feel threat to existing social relationships.

Output Components of HRM

If there are good HRM systems in any organization, it will give the following employee related output. It consists of 4cs.

1. Commitment: If there is good HR System in organization, organizational outcomes will be high commitment of staff. Employee will be more committed. Employee will be loyal, performance oriented, self worth, and involved in work. They show their potentialities with highest degree for the achievement of organizational goal. They will automatically more motivated towards their duty and always think about the interest of organization.
2. Competences: When there is good HRM system, management can attract and keep people for long time. Finding out their weakness, training can be given to them. With training and imposition new skill, employee can be made competent, that can response to any changes inside and outside the organization high competence to adapt to changes in the environment and assumes new roles; potential for higher-level job. Competency of people can be increased through training and development and organization can proceed into a competitive market.
3. Cost effectiveness: Cost effectiveness does not signify reducing the cost but managing the cost in a most effective way sot that output can be maximized. This can be done by effective HRM system. With good HR decision in HR activities such as recruitment, selection, training and development, performance appraisal, labor turnover can be reduced, efficiency of labor can be increased, this ultimately affects in well management in cost.
4. Congruence: Congruence is the relationship between the interest of employee and organization. Good HR system sustains the relation between management and employee; high degree of harmony between the goals of individual and the organization; common vision in goals and working together to attain them.