Effectiveness of conciliation proceedings in dismissal cases under section 20, Industrial Relations Act, 1967 / J. Chandrasegaran

A workman who considers himself dismissed without just cause or excuse by his employer can make representations in writing to the Director General to be reinstated in his former employment as provided under Section 20, of the Industrial Relations Act, 1967. As evidenced from the statistics available from the Industrial Relations Department, the majority of cases referred to the Industrial Relations Department for conciliation and to the Industrial Court for adjudication, are cases involving dismissal without just cause or excuse. This project paper will analyze the overall effectiveness of conciliation proceedings in dismissal cases under Section 20, of the Industrial Relations Act 1967. This paper will look at the aspects of the preliminary consideration under the said Section 20 that is the requirement of being a workman, the 60 days limitation period and the plea of reinstatement, the procedures involved in the conciliation proceedings, interpretation of relevant data and statistics from the industrial relations department as well as the sufferings and problems faced by ordinary workmen due to the outcome of conciliation proceedings at the Industrial Relations Department. It cannot be denied that the process of conciliation proceedings need to be reviewed and reformed in order for it to be more effective as the Industrial Relations Act, 1967 is a piece of beneficent social legislation