Industrial unrest on rise

Orissa recorded a loss of 9,48,689 man-days in 2007-08 due to industrial disputes like strikes and lockouts. While 8,58,934 man-days were lost because of 13 lockouts, the remaining 89,755 man-days were lost due to 18 strikes in the last fiscal.

As many as 8,311 workers were involved in the strikes whereas another 3,081 workers were involved in lockouts in 2007-08. It may be noted that the loss of man-days due to industrial disputes was increasing steadily in Orissa. While 7,15,704 man-days were lost in 2004-05, the figure went up to 8,25,718 in 2005-06 and 8,89,964 in 2006-07, said the official sources. Out of 7,15,704 man-days lost in 2004-05, 6,11,132 days were lost due to lockouts while the balance 1,04,572 days were lost owing to industrial strikes.

Similarly, in 2005-06, the number of man-days lost due to lockouts and strikes stood at 7,28,228 and 97,490 respectively. In 2006-07, lockouts accounted for a loss of 8,53,152 man-days while 36,812 man-days were lost due to strikes. The rising number of man-days in Orissa is due to the growth in the state’s economic activities and also because of the expansion of the industrial establishments involving a large number of employees, added sources. Trade union leaders attributed the growing number of man-days lost due to lockouts and strikes in the state to the non-implementation of labour laws.

However, sources claimed that the industrial relations scenario in Orissa in 2007-08 was by and large peaceful and the Industrial Relation Machinery had settled 61 industrial disputes in this period and failure reports were submitted to the state government in 147 other cases.

In 2007-08, the Industrial Relation Machinery received 2,377 complaints. The 2,377 complaints included 1721 cases related to wages and allowances, 40 cases relating to bonus, 28 cases relating to personal matters and 201 cases pertaining to retrenchment and termination of services, one case related to leave and hours of work and 366 other cases of miscellaneous nature.