Union payoffs cannot help workers in anyway. Maruti’s example shows best how managements can exploit a situation to their advantage. By offering settlement money to only some of the union leaders, the management at Maruti stirred up a row among workers and destroyed their unity, and in the process achieved their ultimate aim. I agree with D L Sachdeva’s view that the company’s handling of the situation reflected its short-sightedness. The company may defend its actions, but the question remains whether workers and their cause have actually benefited from the payoff. Once the trust between workers and the management is breached, strikes are bound to re-occur, sooner or later. So, managements need to view labour issues seriously and understand that they have long-term implications.
Bal Govind, Noida
Readers should write to:
The Editor, Business Standard,
Nehru House,
4, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg,
New Delhi 110 002,
Fax: (011) 23720201;
letters@bsmail.in
All letters should have a postal address and telephone number
