“Your Boss?”

 The story relates to the scenario of the relationship of the Management and the Labour Unions in the Manufacturing Industry in India in the late 1960’s.

Soon after Independence our first Prime Minister Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru laid great emphasis on the industrialization of our country, with main focus on heavy industry, steel plants and the establishment of new engineering units, along with the modernization of the old ones. The Indian Labour had been oppressed for a very long time. The wages were poor and the workers had been exploited for decades working in inhuman conditions. It seemed to be their turn to react with a vengence The Labour Unions were getting very strong and Hartals and Gheraos had become the order of the day.

Being unaware of all these negative developments, but having industrialization of our country in my mind, I had preferred Manufacturing to alternatives like Design and Sales.

Soon after my graduation in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Bombay, I had joined N E I Ltd. , one of the most reputed factories in Jaipur owned by one of the greatest industrialist, B M Birla. It was the only engineering Unit in South East Asia manufacturing Ball Bearings at that time.

Being a fresh graduate in mechanical engineering, having no practical experience, but having sound knowledge about the manufacturing techniques learnt in the class rooms and the workshops in the Institute, I had to face lot of difficulty in establishing my self among the skilled and experienced workers on the Shop Floor. But teaching them new techniques with the help of their practical skills I could win over their confidence and respect in a very short time.

i was able to establish the desired discipline on the shop Floor, in a rowdy environment and win over the confidence of the Management also.

Over the next four years I had developed good relations with the Labour Force and Management alike.

In the late 1960’s N E I Ltd. was setting up a new Unit for the manufacturing of Tapered Roller Bearings with the collaboration of Federal Mogul of USA. I was one of the engineers selected to be trained in one of its factories, The Bower Rolling Bearing, based in Detroit USA.

The production in the Taper Roller Unit at N E I successfully started a couple of years later. It was the first factory manufacturing tapered roller bearings in India. There was therefore a very high demand of various sizes from different Factories manufacturing automobiles, various types of pumps, farm equipment etc. Till then all the tapered roller bearings were being imported at high cost spending foreign exchange.

To meet the growing demand our Research and Development department was working overtime in finalizing the design and manufacturing of bearings in demand. Occasionally there was a visit by the CEO’s of the various organizations along with their technical team to discuss their requirements with our President supported by the technical team from N E I Ltd.

One such meeting was already planned with the CEO of an automobile Company.

As I have already stated the Labour Unions were very strong in those days. So was ours in our factory. Though there was a three year contract with the Union not to indulge in any shutdown till the new negotiations for the next contract, there were often “ Tool Down” by the workers of various sections on flimsy grounds. The all powerful Secretary of the Union always had to intervene on the request of the Labour Department of the factory to resolve the issue. Sometimes even our President had to intervene .

It so happened that just a day before the visit of the above CEO there was an unreasonable Tool Down by the workers of the Assembly Line.

This would have created a very unhealthy and negative opinion of the working in NEI by the visiting team. All efforts to resolve the issue failed. Ultimately our President had to intervene by having personal discussions with the Union Secretary explaining him the gravity of the situation. The Secretary assured the President to resolve the issue soon.

Next day as planned, the meeting with the visiting team had started in the President’s Chamber. Suddenly half way thru the meeting the door opened. Standing in the doorway, with one hand on the half opened door, stood the Secretary wearing his worker’s dress which was supplied to each worker by the Management free of cost. Addressing the President he uttered the words” Ho Gaya”.

He was referring to the end of the Tool Down and restarting of the Assembly Production Line. The President nodded his head in approval.

The Secretary thereafter left closing the door behind him.

There was pin drop silence in the room

The visiting CEO was curiously watching all the drama. He looked at our President and with a smile on his face, remarked, “Your Boss?”

He was referring to the Union Secretary, after looking at his style of entering the room uninterrupted, and his brief interaction with the President.

The President smiled.

There was a little pause. With every one enlightened, the meeting resumed.

DONE