Employee Relation, Labour Relation and Industrial Relation

MEANING OF INDUSTRIAL RELATION:

We come across the three synonymous words i.e. employee relations, Labour relations and Industrial relations. We will try to give the meaning of these three:

• Employee Relations refers simply to the direct relationship between an organization and its employees.
• Labour Relations refers to the direct relationship between the organization and its employees and the relationship between the organization and the union(s) that represents the employees.
•  Industrial Relations refers to the direct relationship between the organization and its employees and the relationship between the organization and the union(s) that represents the employees and the relationship between the organization and all other important stakeholders in the society.
• Labour Relations is a sub-area in Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management.  
  According to Collins English Dictionary (2014), “It means collective relations between management of an organisation and employees or employees’ representatives a set of such relations in wider context such as in an   industry or in a national economy.
  Industrial relation is defined as relation of Individual or group of employee and employer for engaging themselves in a way to maximize the productive activities. It is a joint effort of these major influences that produce harmonious industrial relations between them.
  In the words of Lester, “Industrial relations involve attempts at arriving at solutions between the conflicting objectives and values; between the profit motive and social gain; between discipline and freedom, between authority and industrial democracy; between bargaining and co-operation; and between conflicting interests of the individual, the group and the community. Traditionally Labour/industrial relation was considered a relation between employers and employees but now a day it has become a burning issue consisting of relation between workers, employers and the social environment of the organisation.
  It is a dynamic socio-economic process that makes a social dialogue possible among employees, employers and the organizational social environment. The primary focus of it should be on grievance handling, industrial dispute, and interpretation labour laws, etc. Hence, labour relation or employee relation or industrial relation is a system that makes the social dialogue between employees, employers and society/government.
  Industrial Relation is multidimensional force that is influenced by the external forces economic, social, cultural, political, legal, technological and occupational forces. The primary concern of labour relations is to promote a healthy and harmonious relationship between employees and the employers. Beside management and workers, the government is another important factor that influences organizational affairs through legal and administrative measures. In this way, this harmonizes the divergent and conflicting interests of these parties through a consolidated dialogue.
  Industrial relations has become one of the most delicate and complex problems of modern industrial society. Industrial progress is impossible without cooperation of labour and harmonious relationships. Therefore, it is in the interest of all to create and maintain good relations between employees (labour) and employers (management) in an industry. Industry has been defined under Section 2(j) of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 ‘industry’, as any business, trade, undertaking, manufacture, calling of employers, and includes any calling, service, employment, handicraft, industrial occupation or avocation of workmen. Thus, it includes almost all areas and subject to varying interpretations.