The document discusses works committees, which are joint committees composed of representatives of employees and employers. Under the Industrial Dispute Act of 1947, any establishment with 100+ workers must form a works committee. The main purpose is to promote harmonious workplace relations and resolve issues like work conditions and benefits. Key functions include negotiating matters of common interest, maintaining industrial peace, and providing ideas to management. The committees aim to prevent and resolve day-to-day disputes that could otherwise escalate into major industrial conflicts.

1. BY
SANJANA

2. A committee composed of both employer
and employees convened to discuss
matters of common interest concerning a
factory, plant, business policy, etc, not
covered by regular trade union
agreements.
A body representing the workers of a plant,
factory, etc, elected to negotiate with the
management about working conditions,
wages,etc.

3. The works committee- set up under the
INDUSTRIAL DISPUTE ACT,1947.
Under this Act, every establishment
employing 100 or more workers is required
to constitute a works committee as a
scheme of workers participation in
management.
It consists of equal number of
representatives from the employer and the
employees.

4. The main aim to establish works
committee is to promote measures for
maintaining harmonious relations in the
work place and to sort out differences of
opinion on work related issues. E.g. Work
conditions and benefits. Such other
objectives are:
To negotiate on the matters of general
interests.
To maintain industrial peace.

5. To share the workload
To encourage workers to have a say
To get ideas for the workplace and
workers.

6. President: Employer Nominee
Vice-president: Worker’s Representative
Secretary
Joint Secretary
Tenure: 2 Years
Total Strength: 20
Examples: TISCO, Hindustan Lever.
Compulsory for every undertakings
employing 100 or more workers.

7.  Works committee deals with matters of day-to-day functioning at
the shop floor level. Works committees are concerned with:
a. Health: Ventilation, Lighting, Temperature and Sanitation
facilities.
b. Safety: Accident Prevention, Occupational diseases and
Protective equipments.
c. Welfare: Rest rooms, medical and health services, drinking
water.
d. Administration of welfare and fine funds.
e. Educational and recreational activities. E.g. Health, Safety and
Welfare committee. Such committees were made in TATA Iron
& Steel Works, Jamshedpur, Carnatik Mill in Madras in 1922.
f. Adjustments of festivals and national holidays.
g. Promotion of thrift and savings.
h. To see that the decisions taken in the works committee are fully
enforced.

8.  Such committees are not that much effective in
maintaining industrial peace and harmony.
 Employees consider it below their dignity and status to
sit alongside blue-collar workers.
 Lack of competence and interest on the part of
worker’s representatives.
 Lack of feedback on performance of works committee.
 One of the main reasons of their failure was the
vagueness of these purposes as stated in the Act.
 In many industries, the works committees have been
only on papers. They do not function at all, meet
regularly or discuss matters of real importance.

9.  A more responsive attitude on the part of the
management.
 Adequate support from the unions.
 Proper appreciation of the scope and
functions of the works committees.
 Whole-hearted implementation of the
recommendations of the works committees;
and
 Proper coordination of the functions of the
multiple bipartite institutions at the plant level.

10.  The works committees must work on the basis of
mutual trust and coordination. Both the labor and
the management must adopt the policy of ‘give and
take’.
 It should be a recommending body only. It must
have some real power of influencing the decision-
making process in the organization.
 The decisions of the works committee should be
honoured in all respects and implemented within a
reasonable time.
 Regular evaluation of its working should be
undertaken.

11.  From this description we can say that the importance
of the works committee as a joint consultative
machinery at the plant level lies in the fact that these
committees perform a very important function ,
namely, resolving day-to-day differences arising
between the management and the works in the
industry which if unsettled would certainly develop into
complicated major industrial disputes which cannot be
settled as easily and as effectively as it would be
possible at their initial stages.
 Works committees, serve a double purpose namely,
the prevention and settlement of industrial disputes .

12.  Sangal, J(first ed. 2010),Industrial
Sociology,Shubham Publication,Dilshad
Garden,New Delhi-110095.
 http://www.slideshare.net/mobile/parags06/wo
rkers-participation-in-management-32025080
 http://www.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_fun
ctions-of_works_committee/
 http://industrialdisputesact1947.blogspot.com/
2011/04/part-vii-works-committee.html
 http://www.thefreedictionary.com/works+com
mittees