Head - Industrial Relations - Manufacturing

Role Overview:

Lead the Industrial Relations agenda for a large-scale manufacturing plant, ensuring a stable, productive and legally compliant workforce environment. The role will be responsible for managing employee and workmen relations, contract labour, grievances, disciplinary matters, labour-law compliance, dispute resolution and workforce engagement while supporting uninterrupted plant operations.

Key Responsibilities:

• Own the end-to-end Industrial Relations strategy and execution for the manufacturing plant.
• Manage IR across a workforce of 1,000+ employees/workmen, including significant contract labour and multiple shifts.
• Build and maintain constructive relationships with employees, workmen representatives, unions, contractors and other workforce stakeholders.
• Handle grievances, complaints, disciplinary proceedings, domestic enquiries and employee relations matters in a fair, consistent and legally sound manner.
• Lead resolution of labour disputes and support negotiations, settlements, long-term agreements and other IR interventions.
• Ensure effective administration and compliance with applicable labour and employment laws, statutory registers, notices, returns and inspections.
• Partner with plant leadership to anticipate IR risks and develop preventive action plans to maintain uninterrupted operations.
• Manage contract labour governance, contractor compliance, workforce deployment and related statutory requirements.
• Drive employee/workmen engagement initiatives, communication forums and mechanisms to strengthen trust and workplace discipline.
• Monitor absenteeism, attrition, manpower productivity, overtime, workforce costs and other IR-related metrics, and recommend corrective actions.
• Coordinate with legal, HR, EHS, security and plant operations teams on matters involving labour relations, statutory authorities and workforce risk.
• Represent the organisation before labour authorities, conciliation officers and other relevant forums, as required.
• Develop IR policies, SOPs, processes and documentation appropriate for a large, process-driven manufacturing environment.
• Maintain preparedness for labour unrest, strikes, work stoppages and other workforce contingencies through appropriate risk mitigation and business continuity plans.