Convergences and divergences in Indian employment relations

Globalization is fast changing employment relation practices in firms all over the world. This has made the study of comparative and international employment relations particularly important in our time. Important issues in this include changes in the behaviors of workers and managers, interaction between different individuals and groups, the nature of work organizations, work practices, and union representation. Most studies in comparative employment relations are on developed countries. This study examines changes in employment relations in India in the post-reform period. It includes case studies of a number of firms in different industrial sectors.; The studies on employment relations in developed countries indicate the existence of a finite set of dominant employment systems, where each system is characterized by an interrelated set of employment practices. The studies indicate growing variation in employment relation practices within countries (divergence) and emerging commonalities in employment relation practices across countries (convergence). The first concern of the study is to examine the validity of the "converging divergences" thesis in employment relations for India. The findings confirm the validity of the convergence-divergence thesis. The study also identifies the sources of variations in employment relation practices. Important aspects in this are how global factors, the nature of industries, and unionization influence similarities and variations in employment relation practices within and across countries.