AN ESTABLISHED GROUP OF PEOPLE WELCOMING A NEW FACE INTO THEIR MIDST

It was the worst of times I should say said Jagnesh when he took up employment in a multinational company as a Stenographer. Jagnesh did not belong to that state but to that country and his not belonging to that state posed a problem of becoming isolated as a majority of staff belonged to that state.

Days, weeks and a couple of months passed and a time arrived when Jagnesh had to choose whether to join the Workers Union or not. Jagnesh was in a dilemma and hoped that to be in the good books of the Management and expecting some kind of promotion and advancement in career it is better not to join the Union and keep the options open.

Well what was happening was totally opposite of what he had thought for himself. The Company was exploiting him by increasing his workload and knowing jolly well that as Jagnesh is not a member of the Union he is helpless and has no choice but do whatever work is thrust upon him, if he wishes to continue in the Company.

Jagnesh had to endure this condition for a few months as he had to establish a rapport with the boss Mr. Mehta who developed some liking for Jagnesh and let him work late and helped him with overtime allowance, a little incentive to latch onto. Mr. Mehta being a manager had some amount of influence on certain matters but was causing concern for the other staff, who where members, of the Union.

As the year was coming to an end, the time arrived for placing the Charter of Demand, by the Union for renewal of contracts with revised wages and salaries, before the Management. Unfortunately, a section of the Company was on the verge of being wounded up due to lack of business. This resulted in the lay off and termination of a few staff. Additionally, a few disgruntled staff, in the warehouse section, who were having grievances, which the Union was not interested in solving lead to their displeasure, and they were in the lookout for an opportunity to teach a lesson to the current Union.

Jagnesh in the meantime started to feel that worst of times seem to be on the wane. A date was announced by the Management for meeting the Union to come to some kind of agreement to settle the Charter of Demand for the forthcoming year.

Jagnesh was at that moment just a spectator to what is going to happen after the meeting. The Management and Union ended up in a deadlock and Management did not agree to what the Union was demanding. In addition to that the staff who had lost employment and few others who had grievances with the Union had a different idea. They combined themselves and came to Jagnesh and informed him that they have decided to hire a lawyer and create a separate union and challenge the current union as the current Union has lost its majority and therefore, any contract signed hereafter between the Management and the current Union is null and void.

After hearing this from the aggrieved non-members of the current Union, Jagnesh joined them which gave them the desired impetus and confidence to go ahead and form a new Union with a professional lawyer as their leader. It gradually ended up as the new Union and Management also had to disown the old Union and negotiate with the new Union thereafter.

Jagdesh also started feeling that his workload has become bearable and he started to get a lot of respect from the colleagues and even the Management. The respect was to such a great extent that the Branch Manager started to entrust Jagnesh with many of his personal work. Such was the situation now. Except a few who were the primary members and Office bearers of the Old Union and gradually losing their hold on the Union and majority of staff. It also irked them and made them helpless to counter the offensive from the outside Union, which was being lead, by a powerful and professional lawyer.

Within a few months, Jagnesh got a better job and left the Company. Although Jagnesh did not have much interest left in the Company, still the new Union kept updating Jagnesh of the progress that the new Union is making with regard to coming to a conclusion to the new Charter of Demand.

Jagnesh had by now immersed himself in a new job and almost forgotten the situation and the company he had left a year ago. To his astonishment and surprise one day he heard a knock on his door. As he opened the door he found that the postman was standing before him. The postman handed over to him a registered envelope and took the signature of Jagnesh as a token of acceptance. After the postman left Jagnesh very carefully cut open the registered envelope. What he found in that envelope was unbelievable. There was a cheque of Rupees Ten Thousand with a note saying this is the arrears for you as the new Union has inked the Charter of Demand with the Management.

On enquiring from the members of the new Union, Jagnesh was told that they were very grateful to Jagnesh for his assistance in forming the new Union and ensuring that the new Union is able to manage to arrive at an amicable settlement to the satisfaction of majority of the employees. The new members also did not forget to mention in the passing that the Office bearers of the Old Union have been deprived of the benefits due to their high handedness when they were holding the chequered post to the detriment of the majority of staff.

The members of the new Union also made it a point to mention to Jagnesh that even though Jagnesh had left the Company and it is not obligatory on the part of the New Union to pay any sum, but it cannot imagine to be what it is now without the timely assistance of Jagnesh and hence as a token of thanks they, shall we say gifted this amount.

Jagnesh on his part felt that now he is experiencing the best of times and not the worst of times.