Chapter One
Introduction and Definition
1.1 Introductions
The concept of industrial relations has a wide meaning. The expression industrial relations by itself means relationship that emerges out of day-to-day working and association of labour and management. But when taken in its wider sense, it includes ‘the relation between an employee and an employer in the course of running of an industry’.
Actors in the IR system
Three main parties are directly involved in industrial relations:
Employers: Employers possess certain rights vis-à-vis labors. They have the right to hire and fire them. Management can also affect workers’ interests by exercising their right to relocate, close or merge the factory or to introduce technological changes.
Employees: Workers seek to improve the terms and conditions of their employment. They exchange views with management and voice their grievances. They also want to share decision making powers of management. Workers generally unite to form unions against the management and get support from these unions.
Government: The Government influences and regulates industrial relations through laws, rules, agreements, it also includes third parties and labor and tribunal courts.
1.2 Definition
The Oxford Dictionary defines industrial relations (IR) as the "interaction between employers, employees, and the government; and the institutions and associations through which such interactions are mediated." Sometimes treated as the equivalent of labor relations, industrial relations considers the impact of these interactions on humans and organizations. This article considers industrial relations from the perspectives of researchers, governments, managers and workers.
In the "Industrial Relations Journal," Ardha Danieli wrote that IR has been widely criticized for ignoring the role of gender, "particularly in relation to women's representation within