Read the case carefully and answer the questions.
QUESTION :
1. Was it ethical for the management to have different rates of pay hike at two units?
2. Would the pay hike of 8 per cent satisfy the workers?
Discuss.
3. How far do you think that an organization can encash on the strategy of feeding lower figures of pay hike in the grapevine and then giving slightly higher figures in reality?
4. Do you think that the workers in the design unit were not contributing to the revenues generated by the organization?
Extracted text: Cases of Indian Organizations 469 CASE 13: VARIABLE PAY HIKE oup Akshay Motors Private Limited was established in 1982 by Akshay Mishra to manufacture passenger cars at Mandideep. Two years later, a small subunit for prototype designing and testing was set up at a distance of 4.5 kms from the main plant. Both the plants had separate unions. In the small plant there were just 55-60 people who had better interactions among themselves. On the other hand, main plant had a strong union of 300 employees. In the small plant, a variable environment existed due to flexibility in work, whereas in the mother plant such flexibility did not exist due to highly structured jobs. Whenever there would be any negotiation with the workers of the company it was first negotiated at the small plant and whatever the outcome, had to be agreed upon by the main plant union. The management would make the main plant workers agree on the pretext that there had to be uniformity in both the units of the plant. In 1998, the workers in the small plant demanded a hike of 15 per cent of the basic salary, to which the management did not agree. They wanted to give a hike of 5 per cent only since the plant could not generate much revenue out of its activities. And moreover, the activities of this plant were not quantifiable as the outcome of designs could be assessed only after 3-4 years. Many rounds nor the union representatives could arrive at a solution. As a result, the members lost faith in the union and nobody was ready to take over union responsibilities. In due course of time the demand of the workers fizzled out. negotiations took place but neither the management Meanwhile, the union at the main plant took up the issue of hike in pay with the management. They were demanding a hike of 20 per cent of the basic salary. After few rounds of negotiations, the management agreed to give rise on the basis of variable income scheme, which meant, the hike would be proportionate to the individual's output. To this, the union did not agree in the first few rounds of negotiation. But later, keeping in mind the fate of the workers at the smaller unit, the union agreed. Once the settlement at the main plant was implemented, the unrest among the workers in the small plant started. In the absence of any union, every worker approached Raman Kumar, the HR Manager. Anticipating problems from the workers at the small plant, he gave them an assurance that he would communicate it to the top management. The expectations of the workers started rising. A suggestion from the workers came that all of them should give an undertaking that they would abide by the decision of the top management and would not involve themselves in the unionized activities. There was a strong belief among the workers that management would give them the hike similar to that of main plant since there had always been parity in the two units in the past whenever such occasions had come. Even after a long wait of two years, nothing substantial emerged despite occasional assurance from Raman Kumar. In October 10, 1999 the new executive director, Hritik Ranade, tookover. The day he joined, the workers showed their resentment by not eating food in the canteen. Ranade immediately walked into the canteen, to sort out the matter and assured them of an early settlement. He thought that demands of the workers were genuine, but at the same time their output could not be quantified as compared to the workers of the main unit. After a period of three months the workers came to know through grapevine that management was planning to give a pay hike of Rs. 150 irrespective of the basic salary. One fine morning, the workers were communicated that there would be a 8 per cent raise for everybody irrespective of the level. Since then, there had been no negotiations for the salary and it was fixed by the top management. 470 Human Resource Management Questions 1. Was it ethical for the management to have different rates of pay hike at two units? 2. Would the pay hike of 8 per cent satisfy the workers? Discuss. 3. How far do you think that an organization can encash on the strategy of feeding lower figures of pay hike in the grapevine and then giving slightly higher figures in reality? 4. Do you think that the workers in the design unit were not contributing to the revenues generated by the organization? Source: This case was developed by S. Dhar, S. Johri, R. Mishra, M. Jain and U. Dhar and reproduced from Cases in Management, PIMR Monograph Series, 2001, with permission.