expresses her anger or dissatisfaction by non-cooperation, non-speaking, spoiling the taste of food or raising noise level of the utensils while washing to a higher pitch. In labour-management relations there are bound to arise frictions, disagreements, clashes all the time. The workers are bound to exert pressure by collective action, since their strength is in a group and not in individual action. Strikes, Go-slows Bundhs are token actions indicating existence of these problems. The resultant loss is for both employer and the employees.
Those who believe in Class conflict or Class war have easy choice. If strike is successful, then the workers (have-nots) gain financially, if the strike fails there is a loss for the employer there is a loss to Capitalist who by definition is a class enemy or exploiter. This is a neat theoretical argument. This ignores the result that one factory closed by repeated strikes takes away livelihood of hundred workers. Class-war appears very simple in books. Afternoon meal is a need of every worker. One has to provide for it. He/she and his/her family members have a bad habit of getting hungry in the afternoon. A strike by textile workers started in 1982 in Mumbai is perhaps still going on legally. I will have a cake with icing or I will go hungry without it is a slogan for the labour leader. He gets the icing but the workers have to deal with hunger every day. They have to live dog's life.
Then what is the alternative pressure point? Japan, a country with unique traditions and systems, if there is a labour-management problem in the factory, the workers do not go on strike. They continue to work normally but wear black ribbons on their dress or uniform. The Managers consider that as a personal loss or death of industrial relations and harmony, For them Harmony is higher value than Justice. In extreme cases the manager even commits suicide. The workers and the management consider this wearing of black ribbons by the workers as signifying a method of strike and immediately move in the direction of resolution of the dispute. They try harder for settlement and bring it about. In no case do the employers or employees stop production. Production is the basic reason for the existence of the factory. This is an impact of Confucian thought put into practice in Japanese society.
In Western countries, since conflict of Interests is inevitable in the adversarial context, strike is considered as a legitimate weapon or a right, since Social activities are based on conflict as natural way. Everyone respects the sanctity of contract. Both sides keep up with their end of the bargain. Profit or Loss: the contract is a contract and it must be followed is the accepted value. If there is less production then there is less pay. In recession people will lose jobs. The unions are in a position to enter into such agreements and workers will follow it. Both parties to contract have
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