Employee Relations in India: Current Context and Emerging Paradigm

Abstract

Employee relations in India has been changing with the changing context. The industry has come a long way since independence. The paradigm has changed at an even faster pace over the last decade due to fundamental shifts in technology and socio-economic factors. The onslaught of COVID also brought in tectonic shifts in this field. Rise in the proportion of middle-class, democratisation of information technology, automation and industrial revolution 2.0, focus on ESG, steps towards improving the ease of doing business are other important changes driving the paradigm shifts in employee relations. The industry is now moving from restrictive industrial relations (IR) practices to more collaborative and progressive practices that look at workers and unions as partners rather than adversaries. The article discusses a case in point, Deepak Fertilisers and Petrochemicals Corporation Limited, where progressive IR practices have shown demonstrable results in the changing context.