| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | Human Resources |
| Level | Manager |
| Reports to | DGM HR |
| Direct reports | Industrial Relations Officer, Labour Welfare Officer, Time Office Executive |
| Experience | 8 to 12 years in industrial relations or personnel roles in manufacturing plants with unionised workforces |
Industrial Relations Manager job description template
Copy this job description, replace the text in square brackets and post it on your careers page or a job portal.
Job title: Industrial Relations Manager
Department: Human Resources
Reports to: DGM HR
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
An Industrial Relations Manager keeps the relationship between management and workmen stable in a plant or group of plants, mostly in manufacturing, chemicals, textiles and engineering. The role handles union negotiations and long-term settlements, grievance and works committees, discipline and domestic inquiries, contract labour issues and dealings with the labour department. It reports to the DGM HR or Plant HR Manager. A good IR manager spots trouble on the shop floor early and settles it before it becomes a dispute.
Key responsibilities
- Hold regular meetings with recognised unions and worker representatives, and record every discussion and commitment in writing.
- Prepare data and the management's position for long-term wage settlements, and draft settlement clauses with legal advice.
- Run the grievance redressal committee and works committee meetings, and follow every grievance to closure.
- Apply the standing orders consistently in matters of discipline, leave, shifts and conduct.
- Issue charge sheets, arrange domestic inquiries, brief presenting officers and draft final orders based on the inquiry findings.
- Monitor contractors for licences, wage payments, PF and ESI deposits, and the conduct of contract workers on site.
- Represent the company in conciliation proceedings and before labour department officials, and brief lawyers for labour court cases.
- Read shop-floor sentiment through supervisors and daily walk-arounds, and act on early signs of unrest such as slowdowns or group absence.
- Advise production managers before they announce overtime, shift or transfer decisions that affect workmen.
- Keep settlement documents, disciplinary files and case trackers complete and ready for audit.
Requirements
- MSW, MPM or MA in Labour Welfare or Personnel Management
- An LLB or a diploma in labour laws is an advantage
- Graduate in any discipline
- 8 to 12 years in industrial relations or personnel roles in manufacturing plants with unionised workforces
KRAs and KPIs for a Industrial Relations Manager
Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.
| Key result area | How to measure it |
|---|---|
| Industrial harmony | Zero man-days lost to strikes, go-slows or illegal stoppages in the year |
| Grievance closure | Worker grievances closed within the time set in the grievance procedure |
| Disciplinary process | Domestic inquiries completed within 90 days, with no order set aside on procedural grounds |
| Settlement timeliness | Long-term settlement concluded before the previous one expires |
| Contractor compliance | Proof of wage, PF and ESI payment collected from every contractor each month |
| Case management | A briefed company representative present at every labour case hearing |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: HRMS, Biometric attendance system, MS Word and Excel, Legal case tracker, Shram Suvidha portal.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: Plant HR Manager, DGM HR, General Manager HR
Interview questions for a Industrial Relations Manager
- The union calls a tool-down after a worker is suspended. What do you do in the first hour?
- How do you prepare for a conciliation meeting on a wage dispute raised by the union?
- Take us through a domestic inquiry for habitual absence, step by step.
- A contractor has not paid wages for two months. What is the principal employer's exposure, and what do you do?
- How do you build trust with a union leader without making promises you cannot keep?
- What did the Industrial Relations Code change for fixed-term employment in plants like ours?
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What does an industrial relations manager do?
An industrial relations manager manages the relationship between management, workmen and unions in a plant. The work covers wage settlements, grievance and works committees, standing orders, discipline and domestic inquiries, contract labour, conciliation and labour court cases, and early action on shop-floor unrest.
What is the difference between industrial relations and employee relations?
Industrial relations deals with workmen, unions, collective bargaining and labour law processes, and is most common in plants. Employee relations is the broader term for managing the relationship with all employees, including grievances, discipline, policies and communication, and is the usual name in offices and non-unionised companies.
What qualification is required for an industrial relations manager?
Most IR managers hold an MSW, MPM or MA in labour welfare or personnel management, and many add an LLB or a diploma in labour laws. Employers value 8 or more years in plants with unions, experience of wage settlements and domestic inquiries, and fluency in the local language of the workforce.