Industrial democracy in India

The present study aims to assess the participatory orientation of the management and workers, the factors which influence it and its impact upon production, industrial relations and welfare. The necessity of workers' participation in management has been theoretically studied from a historical perspective. Although Joint Manage ment Councils had been in operation since 1956, yet the New Scheme of shop council (at the Shop Floor level) and joint Council (at the Plant level) were not the focus of indepth sociolog ical investigations so far. This study completes this gap by studying the two levels of participation in a Public Sector undertaking.

The work has covered almost all the facets of workers' participation in Management including the impact and hurdles to participation and has made detailed indepth analysis of the attitudes and interactions. The rese archer has succeeded in making ample use of sociological theoretical basis of participatory orientation found in the literature on the subject.

The study is methodologically sound and has reached various conclu sions regarding participatory attitudes of management and workers which have scientific support and are free from bias and can be used with adv antage in the understanding of the phenomenon in an economy under transition. The study is characterised by a fresh approach towards interpretation of facts and theories related to partici pation in Industries.