What is Joint Management Councils (JMC)?
Joint Management Councils (JMC):
An idea to form the Joint Management Councils was developed in a labor management co-operation that was held in New Delhi in 1958. The functions have been divided into four categories that include general functions, functions with the workers rights, functions that are linked with the right to receive the latest information and functions linked to rights for exercising administrative powers.
The important attributes of Joint Management Councils are:
- It can be consulted by management on certain specified matters.
- In certain matters management is expected to share information with members of council.
- The council has administrative responsibilities.
- Subjects under collective bargaining, such as wages, bonus and allowances have been excluded from the scope of JMC.
JMC differ from work committee in two major aspects.
- It has wider scope than work committee.
- JMC have administrative responsibility for safety, vocational training and welfare of workers.
Objectives of JMC:
- Promote healthy relations between management and workers.
- Build trust and understanding between management and workers.
- Improve worker efficiency.
- Provide welfare facilities to the workers.
- Educate workers about the scheme for their increased participation.
However, the working of these Joint Management Councils that were formed in both the public and private sectors have not been satisfactory owing to hostility of employers and workers and also due to lack of proper understanding of purposes and benefits.
Some of the reasons are:
- Management did not showed faith and commitment in working of these councils.
- Objectives, scope and functions of the council were not clearly defined.
- Differences between management and employers over working of the councils.
- Management and employees lacked proper understanding the scheme and were rather indifferent towards it.
- Delayed or non-implementation of the council decisions.
- Inter-council and intra-council disputes.
