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BETTER MANAGEMENT VERSUS RETRENCHMENT

Needed Course of Action that Can Release Much of Charges

by Kazi Alauddin Ahmed
FINANCE Minister Salfur Hahnmn recently has Indeed hit at the crux of the problem that haa been eating up the national resources for long. To tune with him I ahall add that "better management" pre sup poses existence of "better people* who should be ade quately trained. be totally ded tested and self-motWated, Imbued with genuine spirit of patriotism and on the top of everything, absolute honesty and high moral Integrity. Unfortunately however, when we look around for such an Ideal person we do not find him. The situation has come to such a pass that asking for a replacement would be mere day-dreaming because almost every one ol us has been madly after the short cut" to prr sonal enrichment
Having been tn the Indus trial sector for long 1 could identify two dlsUnct types of managers. One, the Manager who cherished personal ag grandlscmenl, without "eating up the fence" like that prover bial goal. He would, on the one hand, be wry active in orgarus Ing his workforce for a better production. He would not entwine hts personal fortune with the purchases of raw ma tertals etc. rather would have his share from the numerous traders who would be around for allotment of goods produced. If they have the reputation of being In high demand the Manager demands a bigger slice, as If sharing with the traders their profit This is a type of very cunning but very active Managers whose diplomatic stance and feigned honesty often has been intrigulngly misleading. This type of people always enjoy the confidence of the Corporate Head whose main concern is fulfillment of production target, less or no labour problem and of course, sales and distribution. Queerly enough a Manager of this type is capable of meeting all the requirements of the Corporate body. At least he is in the "good books' of the bosses.
Conversely, the other type of Managers — who arc the majority, place personal financial mobility above everything. They arc "the fence caters." They thrive on their ingrained notoriety. They can create, not work (good work included) but can create purchases. Some of them do the shopping fulfilling the statutory conditions. Very scarcely they check the inwn tory before deciding to make purchasqp. Nor do they care to examine the frequency of use of any item. No matter, they have to make purchases —- and they do It often in bulks even without following the ground rules. At the end there is huge stockpiling of some items which will not be consumed even In decades I
1 do not suppose that the Finance Minister has anything tn the back cf his mind which will seek radical changes of the management of Julc and Textile Industries en bloc Hy ocr experience we can say llutl keeping the resent scale of moral Integrity tn view any al tempt al perfectionism will be nothing shor1 of madness The 2/3 years period for the ex peeled transformation hinted by the Finance Minister Is born of farsightedness. Nevertheless the process to such a transformation cannot brook any delay It should start right now
IMade
The proposed exercise will be an exercise tn futility If It Is not backed up by a pragnsilk programme with realizable strateg.es The essential alternative to management Is man agemenl alone, nay. an effective management The awe In spiring debacle of the present management In the Industrial sector can be ittrlbulcd lo a) Large scale xirru plion and dishonesty . b) Management falling In a host of untrained half-educated Managers who have little o. no idea about modern/sclcnliflc management; c) Total failure of ihe Managers lo motivate people working tn the Industrial units ; d) Communication gap ever widening due to the artificial barriers raised between the management and workers; c) Lack of the desired sense of belongingness emerging from the deliberate and unlmagina live attempt by the management denying the workforce Ihe access to the slate of affairs of the mills; f) Queer groupings amongst workers and employees hatched up by vested interest with the suicidal patronage of the management; g) Incoherent rrtan power planning and also pro-due lion planning ; h) Absence of participative management, proper and attractive Incentive schemes for the workers; I) Folilical polarisation of work ers aided by non-working iradc unionists from oulslde
Many more Items can come on the list but. these are, In my personal opinion, some of the major issues that arc lo bi addressed on priority basis. In thts connection, one thing may deserve consideration. Records will show that many of the industrial units sustaining loss over past several years had loo their golden days The-managers and the workers used to display excclkiit sense of harmony and co operation. They used to share their hap plncss and miseries together The workers had their grievances and the managers managed those grievance s and production so very well that scarcely they turned their
Corruption and dishonesty was still there but not like the fence eaters' of today. Without having recourse to despair we can still mend our fences. As a lest case, let us lake Adamjcc Jute Mills Ltd. and Induct contractual managciia.nl sys lem. Such managcnanl will be given (<• ilivsc managers wim work <1 their in 70 s and 80 » sfarwlng height of their capabilities 1 belkve some of them would even to day volun leer io take up such a chai lenge lo uphold national In tcrcsL If the govcrnnanl con descend lo go for such an ap parcntly unusual alternative, there will be no difficulty lo work out the operational ma Irtx for II. As we all know BCK? has already patronized such a management philosophy in Dhaka Match Industries with success, there should not be any doubt about Its efficacy.
Retrenchment: No Right Answer
It is true that almost all the Industrial units In ihe Jute and Textile sectors haw been over crowded. Il did not happen overnight. rather It has been a legacy being carried forward right from 1972 Readily. II reflects the management debacle born of uncanny manpower planning. Hut behind the present crisis there is yet another vicious tak lo tell The "so culled" labour k-aders and their political godfathers in power could be identified as the main architects of such a tragic episode today. There has been indeed a perpetual and inconsequential dumping of people by the "1‘ower Centre" all these years. In the process not only the industrial units but also the corporate offices have had such ceric nx-lamor-phosls al the cost of the na tional exchequer. There has been, at times. wild competilion amongst the- labour leaders aiming al monopolising their hold Even the Ministers allowed themselves to be played In such suicidal gambles. Virtually there has not been any contraction in such an awesome activity over the years. The height of Ihe game saw us through yet another ominous side of the whole picture flic overall confusion sustained in the employment field has been used as a camouflage by a handful of labour leaders and their accomplices In various departments, to draw, allegedly, huge bills ugulnsl fake workers It la only a part of the tragic story.
The recent revelation that there arc aboat 3.000 excess workers In the Julc Industries In the public sector. Is. to my personal view, a very conaerva tive estimate. I cannol resist here the temptation lo allude such estimation to that of the total number of rickshaws In the metropolis on DCC records and the actual number. I would not. however, rake my brains over the number but I would certainly express my sympathies with the managements of the units who, I can see. are gasping for breath under the dead weight of such a perpet ual liability
Brobable Way Out
Obviously the opinion of the Finance Minister In this colos sal problem will coincide with anyone s thinking Retrenchment Is the ready an swer but will It be the right and Judicious answer ? I ask myself I do It because I cannol help being mercilessly haunted by the almost preda tory spectre seizing the em ployment field I cannot I mag Ine the situation which the addition of such a huge num ber of the unemployed millions would create, Besides, I shudder conjuring up ihe magnitude of the problem and the Insurmountable crisis that such a mass of people In the streets would set in for the government lo handle On the other hand, something has got to be done lo offset the present alarming situation.
In the fitness of things therefore, we should put our heads together to search for the course of action which could release much of the charges In outright retrench ment Such an exercise demands a very careful planning aided by the following steps ; a) Identify the unit-wise number of workers tn excess of requirement . b) Segregate the units which have the largest and smalk-st numbers; examine prospect of relocating workers from larger numbers to smaller ones to forge a balance as far as practicable; c) Make trade wise classification of all Ihe excess workers tn order of their respective v nlority in employment; d) Explore simultaneously, possibilities of re-employing the surplus workers in as many private Industrial units of the like In order of Individual seniority and performance records . e) Seek assistance from FUCC1 and all the District Chambers to gain over their members In favour of giving the government whole-hearted co-operation; f) Set up a high powered National Council (or salvation of retrenched workers which will be responsible to liaise, co-ordinate and fill up vacancies in all the Industrial unit tn the country. This may have a number of zonal bodies; g) Undertake crash pro gramme lo set up a number of new industrial units both In public and private sector In a maximum of taro years lime Include a long term plan as well; h) Pending possible re employment, the excess work ers listed for eventual retrenchment should be har nessed and deployed In Ihe mainstream ol the national de •'elopment programme as temporary measures. I) Draw up massive programme for self employment for the ex cess workers compulsorily In their respective villages with special emphasis on co opera lives Short term motivational training programme will have lo be undertaken simultaneously; J) Extend credit facilities on easier terms lo all those willing lo embrace the above programme; k) Develop a strong network for market Ing, sales and distribution of liar products w> that it can ensure an effective mechanism lo recover the dues of the banks/financial Institutions. 1) Re-employmr.it/self-employ ment of wo'kers facing re trenchment on “last in first MM bMto Should be OpUMMl ml A pUn. both short and long erm. *411 have to be made to estabhah new industries in public sector on erstwhile EPIDC s model a( investment nJ Private entrepreneurs, joint venture projects should be en <<>uraged and all assistanrv to be given by the government would be tn lieu of their Indi vidua! obligatory commiunent to give employment lo the surplus workers In the public sector in preference to others; o) Unskilled surplus workers should be given training In specially designed skill dcvcl op.nent prog'amme in such fields where hey would be tn great demand; pJTrade diversificaUor: programme nitty also tncluie agro-based industries. cooperative mechanised farming, sniall industrial sub-contracting projects with the statutory obligation to chan ne bee the produced goods to big indubtrial projects to meet their requirements of spares
Conclusion : In the overall context, due emphasis should be given on keeping retrenchment of workers al a minimum The process should be phased out in such a man ner. and spreading over al least a two year period, so that. 1. the meantime, all efforts may be deployed at ar ranging allcrnatlve employ ment/vocations instead of throwing the napless workers into the »lrvt. I repeal that unless a tangible sohjlion to such a massive problem Is foimd out the overall national problems will be Just coni pounded beyond any measure of control. Some of the sugg< s Hons above may perhaps be given serious thinking right now without biding time "A stitch In lime saws nine" — the untwrsal dictum should be kept in view Time - the right time. It the great healer Lei ui not run out of It.
Foot Note When I con eluded I did not anticipate that the govt would soon be almost compelled to sign an agree num with the Jute Mills workers granting them In lerlm monthly relief of Tk 500/ each for the month of January 1992 and thereafter al the rate of Tk 200/ every month until the Wages Commission report was Im pienienled. I do not have to tell the readers how such an kiwrtm dispensation /though under severe duress) will compound the already ran sacked and emaciated financial resources of BJMC and the private mills . HkJMC loss ; 1990 91 Tk 243 crore; Tk. 91 crore July Oct 1990 91 and that of private mills: 1990 91 Tk. 96 crore and July Oct Tk 24 crore). Well, my phllosoph leal exploration flounders on the rocks of such an arllh metical riddle 1 Hands up