Laissez Faire vs RAC

The new Congress government is proposing to *reserve* 52% of all private sector jobs for women, backward classes, poor etc etc. (let's just call em the reservees for now)

Do you feel a strange unease creeping up on you. Are you envisaging waiting in a long queue after your final semester exams for that coveted reservee certificate??

I think this policy is both stupid and dangerous. A molotov cocktail of bad administration combined with some pretty schizoid thinking. The elections are over people. You don't need to grab votes now. Not with these sort of dumb measures.

A few reasons why i think reservation in the job market is a pretty stupid idea.

   § Companies and individuals entering into an employment contract are in fact, in a relationship. An economic one. Now forcing an unnatural relationship affects both parties. It leads to friction, mistrust and unease. nobody enjoys working where they are not wanted. All parties should be allowed to form relationships (social, economic, or in the case of prostituition a mix of both) in whatever way is acceptable to both.

   § There is a severe lack of talented workforce amongst the reservees. Not enough women, poor are offered the opportunity to educate themselves. Forcing corporates to hire them will result in a less talented workforce. The USP of the Indian company in teh world market, is it's talented workforce. This sort of neanderthal, short sighted solution will set us back 40 years.

   § India is *finally* coming into it's own in the global scenario. A goverment that looks like it is considering such a proposal will scare everyone. From FII to Outsourcing clients.

   § If companies decide of their own accord to hire only men, or upper castes etc, then they are choosing to hire a more expensive labor. If there are enough trained reservees, then they will lose their competitive advantage unless they begin hiring from this pool too.

Which brings me to, more feasible solutions :

   § First, we have to get rid of reservation based on caste, creed, beliefs etc. The people entitled to reservations are simply those who are economically worse off. So reservations have to be made only on the basis of economic standards. And sex.

   § The problem is that this pool of people are not as well educated as the rest of the workforce. In most companies (most.. videocon is still on my hate list) hiring is done on merit. With few, if any, consideration for regionality or caste. (We'll come to the sex debate later)

   § The solution therefore lies in education not reservation.
            o   Scholarships to twenty deserving students in each corporation school
            o   Lobbying corporates to donate textbooks and computers to these schools
            o   Repeat the above for all colleges and vocational training institutes
            o   Updating syllabi in state run schools and vocational training institutes so that students are equipped to work.

   § These measures would do more than reservation can.

   § This obviously assumes that if a trained pool of people are available, companies would lap them up. This is generally true for all reservees except women. The problem here, is more of a social nature.

   § Companies are scared that women, would leave to get married, not be able to handle the stress of the workplace etc etc. This is slowly changing. The pioneers are of course the banking and it sectors where a large number of employees are female. What's more, they are offered unique solutions in childcare wit in house creches, flexi time etc.

   § In other sectors (especially manufacturing) though, medieval attitudes still persist. But here too, reservation is most definitely not the answer. Instead, it should be made mandatory for companies to reveal the gender breakup of their workforce. Social constraints and outcries will push them to hire women, far better than reservations would. In the time of the informed consumer, it is we who have to boycott companies that discriminate based on sex. And, if that fails, we can always take legal recourse. Like the US.

   § But a mandatory reservation policy is frightening and arcane. Imagine someone saying 52% of our fighter pilots and nuclear scientists have to be uneducated or unqualified. (if you think that the above statement is politically incorrect, then please consider the fact that ALL educated and qualified nuclear scientist ARE gainfully employed)