As is too well known by now, in the new economy resulting from globalization

policies the concern for protectionism stands reduced to the minimum, and
industry is increasingly exposed to the rationality of global competitive forces.
Employers constantly face pressure to achieve higher standards of performance to
getting more for less in manufacturing as well as service sectors. Generation of
new, and global implications of business operations are necessary aspects of the
new economy This shift has its causal roots in the changes in various contexts of
industrial working as follows;

Privatization
Since public sector employees are believed to be restrictive in demonstrating
initiative and commitment in their working, its role in economic development is
being minimized, eventually giving way to privatization. For example, in the
Indian context, it is now accepted as an unchallenged truth that makes it more
imperative to adopt the rationality of globalization. Privatization of the public
sector, however, involves complex social and economic implications. Perhaps, the
main blow that it
gives is to the opinion-making class which justifies labour rights.

Technological changes
In the present high-tech industrial society the adoption of new technology becomes
one of the strategic considerations of organizations. Greater demand
forsophisticated and state-of-the-art technology becomes widespread. It leads to
resort to new developments in management of human resources due to
considerations of retrenchment, flexitime and teleworking. New technology may
also increase the need for organizational flexibility. In developing countries, trade
unions have actively or hesitantly shown opposition to the adoption of new
technology for fear of its adverse impact on
employee solidarity. For, they fear loss of employment and also control over work
processes.

Emergence of new actors in industrial relations

The traditional notions of bipartism or tripartism of yester-years are giving way to
IR becoming a more composite issue. Trade unions and collective bargaining
institutions are under pressure so as to take care of all aspects concerning
variegated people at work (Kochan et al., 1986); thus tending to make IR as a
multi-lateral power game. Consumers and general public are beginning to play a
significant role in these matters. Increasing concern is being shown to issues such
as child labour, women’s problems, environmental concerns, health and safety of
employees and workers in the informal sector. There is pressure for inclusion of
issues such as social clause, social exclusion, social protection, social security and
social action to deal with all types of discrimination (Venkata Ratnam, 2001). The
notions on which this changed thinking is based include: faith in maintaining a
power balance between social partners, integrality, trust, and community interest.
This can also be seen as a method of mustering societal opinion in favour of the
new policies by their ideologues. Thus there are attempts towards evolving new
concepts of income security, job security and social security

Changing work organization, flexibility exigencies and the contractualization

syndrome Large-scale changes are noticeable in work organization. One of the
much-talked-about management concepts is business process re-engineering
(BPR). Hammer and Champy (1993), the originators of the term BPR, write:
“Reengineering is the search for new models of organizing work…Reengineering
is the new beginning.” Re-engineering is aimed to increase productivity and
flexibility of the organization; it also emphasizes multi-trade and flexible job. In
order to fully utilize the labour capacity, workers are trained in several skills.
Various traditionally popular jobs, especially white-collar ones, are now becoming
redundant and are giving way to new roles based on reengineering.
REFERENCES
 Zanko, Michael (ed.) (2002), The Handbook of Human Resource Management Policies
and Practices in Asia-Pacific Economies Vol. I., Edgar Elgar, Cheltenham (UK)
 Zanko, Michael and Matt Ngui (eds.) (2003), The Handbook of Human Resource
Management Policies and Practices in Asia-Pacific Economies Vol. II., Edgar Elgar,
Cheltenham (UK).
 Mishra, L. (2001), Economy & Labour. Manak Publications Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi.