Through its Industry Institute Interface sessions, SCMS Cochin School of Business does its best to offer its students a platform to learn from the experiences of corporate bigwigs. This particular session was a unique opportunity for them to hear about a different, yet integral, aspect of business: labour laws and issues. Mr. Mohammad Sayid, Labor Commissioner, Ernakulam District, was the esteemed speaker for this session and he made students aware of the challenges young managers face when dealing with trade unions. His talk also highlighted the importance of keeping the labour force satisfied.
One of the crucial elements of keeping employees happy is a fair level of pay, and Mr. Sayid began his talk stressing on its significance. He then shed light on different mechanisms and strategies that can be employed for the redressal of grievances put forth by unsatisfied employees. What made the talk truly informative for students was the fact that he described in great detail the various rules and regulations organizations have to follow in order to operate successfully in India. This was information that the gathering absorbed as they look forward to their professional journeys.
While there are rules and regulations to be followed when it comes to labour laws, there are exemptions offered by the Government as well. Mr. Sayid shed light on these exemptions in the session; this discussion was followed by making future HR managers realize the many responsibilities of this position. According to him, HR managers have a huge role to play in organizations as the bridge between business owners and their employees. While the students are often told about this from an employers’ perspective, it was interesting to look at things from the point of view of labour.
Finally, Mr. Sayid shared his own experiences as a labour commissioner and explained his office’s functioning. He talked about the hierarchy followed in the labour commissioner’s office and the period for the redressal of grievances. He emphasized the importance of learning labour laws and updating one’s knowledge in the field, too. The eye-opening session gave managers’ insight into the views of labour. The session culminated with a question & answer session. Mr. Sayid took time to answer each of the questions and offered further insight into the intricacies of the relationship between business owners, managers, and labour.