BLURRED VISION: GRATITUDE - Tribute to those who helped me in my Career n Life

Chapter 10

JS Cama

SV Dange

GR Raote

Balwant Singh ji Dang

Note: I am writing of the times long gone by. Therefore I am taking the liberty of using ‘Bombay’ to describe my town in the days before its renaming as Mumbai in 1995. I mean no disrespect to my adopted home-town that has given me so much. I shall switch to Mumbai when I come to the relevant time frame.

Note: I am writing in these Notes the story of my work n family life. Therefore all that is recorded here is my property and may not be quoted, reprinted by any one without my express permission in writing.

In this Chapter I shall cover the period 1962-67. The Chinese attack on India not only dimmed the popular Republic Day illumination of big buildings in South Bombay but also diminished the aura of Jawaharlal Nehru. Physically n politically he never recovered and breathed his last in 1964. Another Indo Pak war ensued in 1965 in which India got the better of Pakistan and saw the diminutive Lal Bahadur Shastri emerge as India’s most beloved Prime Minister. Jai Jawan Jai Kisan.

It was in these years that many big things happened in my Family and Work life. Our first son Mickey was born the year after our marriage. A few months later my grandfather, Bhayya Ji passed away at age 92. And then quite unexpectedly Sukhjit’s father S Pritam Singh ji had a set back in his health and did not recover. He death at an early age was a trauma for all of us. The siblings all rallied forth and saw the family through some difficult years. Sukhjit joined Guru Nanak School where my Sister Jasbir was teaching and our younger siblings were schooling The School was to be an important feature in our family life.

Then our sister Jasbir had got married to Balwant Singh ji Dang (aka Balma ji). He was a good natured, family loving man. He was a great conversationalist too. He had a large extended Family of his own. They came from a different part of Punjab, with an entirely different dialect. He made a mid life career change; did a course in Industrial Relations and spent many years in that profession. Balwant Singh ji passed away in 2003. They have a son, Harinder aka Mintoo, working in Australia and daughter Harpreet aka Mini.

Our Family shifted to an apartment at Sion and began to enjoy the facilities of living in town. Mickey also shifted school.

It was quite satisfying working with the Jaydee and Jehangir S. Cama as Refinery Manager. I got much leeway in my role and thrived in that enabling environment. Whenever the Employee Relations Manager went on leave or outstation, I was appointed to officiate in his place. That gave me good opportunity to bond with his peers, the Heads of other Departments.

In time, Jaydee was also transferred to HO, and replaced by K Krishnamurty, who was Shift Superintendent. KK was a different kind of Manager, but not a stranger to me and so there were no hassles in working with him. He took keen interest and made meticulous notes, since he was new to the function. We shall see more of him later. By now I had many of my friends n benefactors in HQO.

With Madan’s transfer, I had got first hand experience of collective bargaining. I discovered that: the real negotiating is done outside the meeting rooms. My role in employee welfare activities had given me quite a bond with the worker leaders. They trusted me and we had many long meetings one on one informally. The ‘outside’ leaders guiding the Union were decent upright social workers. There was, however, a splinter group that wanted more aggressive tactics to pressurise the management.

The negotiations had been very protracted. The Union expected very high wage hike since the Company ‘can afford it”. Management wanted wide total flexibility in utilisation of manpower. It was a hard task to bridge the gap. So much so that adjudication proceedings had to be initiated.

The job flexibility issue was untangled by SV Dange the Mechanical Superintendent. He explained: what we need is a craftsman doing some other work which arises in the course of his own job but belongs to another craft. So that one worker need go to worksite rather than two.

One not-so-fine day, workers of the splinter group stormed the Refinery Manager’s Office and ‘gheraoed’ his office and did not allow him to come out. That was the first ever gherao in the Bombay industrial scene, though it was happening in the Eastern states. The Gherao lasted several hours before the workers dispersed unconditionally. The Management charge sheeted n dismissed the ring leader of the Gherao. Mr. GR Raote, Process Superintendent, the Equiry Officer was the ultimate in patience, good tactics and perspicacity. He did such a thorough job that several legal attempts to upturn worker’s dismissal were in vain. Many years later, the worker’s lawyer said: you did not leave us a toe-hold.

Despite the Gherao n adjudication I continued informal discussions with the union leaders. In these parleys, a worker leader gave me a cue: we need the top gainer to get a raise of certain amount. This cue and the flexibility shown by Management enabled fruitful negotiations. We could thus arrive at an important Long Term Settlement.

At that time little did I know that handling of this episode of the Gherao n the ensuing enquiry will establish me as a tough industrial relations Manager and ease my selection in two subsequent and crucial job changes. The Long Term Settlement signed in 1967 brought me to the notice of the HQO Employee Relations Team of Nalin Thakor and Ronnie Saldanha who got me transferred to HQO soon thereafter. My benefactors, Madan n Jaydee, must have have had a hand in this. Thank You.

That is another story and subject of the next chapter

I am grateful to the Union n Management leaders of the Refinery, for giving me a few Keys which opened the gates of my future growth and progress in the Management Profession.