Indian Journal of Industrial Relations: Economics & Social Dev.

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access
Open Access Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Restricted Access Subscription Access

Technological Change & Employment Relations in India


Affiliations
1 Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode–673 570, India
     

   Subscribe/Renew Journal


This article provides an overview of the consequences of technology change on employment relationship in India. New technologies opened up employment opportunities in new and emerging sectors. Skills needed have undergone a change from that of manual dexterity and physical strength to those of trouble shooting and process handling. Group based incentivization and company specific bargaining are becoming more common. Unions no longer resist technology change but are concerned with the implications on the number of jobs, their content and earnings. It's also argued that subjective norms need to be considered as a variable influencing the behavioural intentions of workers with respect to acceptance of technology change. Implications for practice and future research directions are also discussed.
Subscription Login to verify subscription
User
Notifications
Font Size


  • Baskar, V.M, Boeck S.R & V.Gayatri (2001), “Labour in the New Economy: Case of the Indian Software Industry”, The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, 44(1): 39-54

  • Betcherman, G. (1991), “Does Technological Change Affect Union Wage Bargaining Power?”, British Journal of Industrial Relations, 29(3): 447-63

  • Budhwar, P.S. (2003), “Employment Relations in India”, Employee Relations, 25(2): 132-48

  • Chakravarty, D. (2002), “Work Organisation and Employment Contracts: Technological Modernization in Textile Firms”, Economic & Political Weekly, February 23: 743-49

  • Chakravarty, D. (2006), “Labour Arrangements and Bargaining Outcomes under Different Market Conditions”, The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, 49(1): 121-31

  • Chowdhury, S.R. (1996), “Industrial Restructuring, Unions and the State: Textile Mill Workers in Ahmedabad”, Economic & Political Weekly, February 24: L-7 to L-13

  • Daniel, W.W. (1997), Workplace Industrial Relations and Technical Change, Eds Frances Pinter.

  • Datta, S.K. (1990), “Automation and Industrial Relations: Implications for employment, utilisation and deployment of workforce”, Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, 25(3): 254:76

  • Datta, R.C. (1996), “Management, Production System and Labour: Case Study of a Textile Mill”, Economic & Political Weekly, February 24: L-2 to L-6

  • Datta, R.C. (2001), “Economic Reforms, Redundancy and National Renewal Fund: Human Face or Human Mask?”, The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, 44(4): 675-690

  • Davis, T.R.V. (1999), “Different Service Firms, Different Core Competencies”, Business Horizons, Sep-Oct : 23-33

  • Davis, F.D., Bagozzi, R.P. & Warshaw, P.R. (1989): “User Acceptance of Computer Technology: A Comparison of Two Theoretical Models”, Management Science, 35(8): 982-1003

  • Dayal, I. & Aggarwal, V. (1995), Modernizing Organizations, New concepts, New Delhi

  • Dayal, I. (1999), “Union Management Relations in the Changing Business Environment”, Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, 35(2): 217-23

  • Dhanaraj, P.P. (2001), “Impact of Trade Unions, Employment and Technology on Wages: A Study of the Cotton Textile Mills in Madurai District” Economic& Political Weekly, December 29: 4846-850

  • Fishbein, M. & Ajzen, L. (1975), Belief, Attitude, Intention and Behaviour: An Introduction to Theory and Research, Addison- Wesley, Reading MA

  • Ghose, A.K. (1994), “Employment in Organised Manufacturing in India”, The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, 37(2): 143-62

  • Ghosh, S. (1995): “Industrial Restructuring and Labour Relations”, Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, 31(2): 211-30

  • Goldar, B. & Kumari, A. (1999), “Technology Imports and Employment in Large Engineering Firms in India: Pre and Post-reforms Scenario”, The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, 42(4): 943-55

  • Government of India (2009), “A Report on Technology Upgradation for Enterprises in the Unorganized Sector: Status, Constraints and Recommendations”, National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganized sector, New Delhi, Accessed 2nd June, 2009, http://www.nceus.gov.in Techonology_ Upgradation.pdf

  • Gurtoo, A. & Tripathy, A. (2000), “Assessing Workers’ Attitude Towards Technological Change: Scale Construction”, Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, 35(4): 519-31

  • Hill, E. (2009), “The Indian Industrial Relations System: Struggling to Address the Dynamics of a Globalizing Economy”, Journal of Industrial Relations, 51(3):395-410

  • Hofstede, G. (1997), “Cultures and Organisations: Software of the Mind”, McGraw Hill

  • Khandelwal, A.K. (2007), “Moving HRD from the Periphery to the Centre for Transformation of an Indian Public Sector Bank: Keynote Address, 4th Asian Conference of the Academy of HRD”, Human Resource Development International, 10(2): 203-13

  • Kumar, Ajay (1999), “Trade, Technology and Employment Generation in India”, The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, 42(4): 1001-07

  • Kumar, Arun (1999), “Major Issues before Trade Unions in India”, The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, 42(4): 803-14

  • Majumder, B (2001), “Technological Progress, Redundancy and Rehabilitation of Workers: A Theoretical note”, The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, 44(4): 727-36

  • Manwaring, T (1981), “The Trade Union Response to New Technology”, Industrial Relations Journal, 12(4): 7-26

  • Mathieson, K (1991), “Predicting User Intentions: Comparing the Technology Acceptance Model with the Theory of Planned Behaviour”, Information Systems Research, 2(3): 173-91

  • Nagaraj, R. (2004), “Fall in Organized Manufacturing Employment: A Brief Note”, Economic & Political Weekly, July 24:3387-90

  • Ratnam, Venkata. C.S. (1991), Unusual Collective Agreements, Global Business Press, New Delhi

  • Ratnam, Venkata (2000), “Competitive Labour Policies and Labour Laws in Indian States, The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, 43(4): 1049-60

  • Sharma, A.N. (2006), “Flexibility, Employment and Labour Market Reforms in India”, Economic & Political Weekly, May 27

  • Singh, M & Nandini, S (1999), “Impact of Trade and Technology on Employment: A Study of the Indian Software Industry”, The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, 42(4): 957-68

  • Venkatachalam, J. & Velayudhan, A. (1999), “Impact of Advanced Technology on Quality of Worklife: A Study of a Steel Plant”, Management & Labour studies, 24(4): 249- 55

  • Virmani, B.R. (1990), “Automation and Changing Technologies: Issues and Concerns for Manpower Planning and Industrial Relations”, Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, 25(4): 323-34

  • Wiggenhorn, W. (1990), “Motorola U: When Training Becomes an Education”, Harvard Business Review, Jul-Aug: 71-83


Abstract Views: 1160

PDF Views: 0




  • Technological Change & Employment Relations in India

Abstract Views: 1160  |  PDF Views: 0

Authors

T. N. Krishnan
Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode–673 570, India

Abstract


This article provides an overview of the consequences of technology change on employment relationship in India. New technologies opened up employment opportunities in new and emerging sectors. Skills needed have undergone a change from that of manual dexterity and physical strength to those of trouble shooting and process handling. Group based incentivization and company specific bargaining are becoming more common. Unions no longer resist technology change but are concerned with the implications on the number of jobs, their content and earnings. It's also argued that subjective norms need to be considered as a variable influencing the behavioural intentions of workers with respect to acceptance of technology change. Implications for practice and future research directions are also discussed.

References