Trade unionism is very strong amongst medical representatives. The unity is enforced though a common body F.M.R.A. (Federation of Medical Representative Association) and in state level (e.g Maharashtra State Medical Representative Association) shares knowledge, resolves common problem, handles grievances, and conducts various activities to improve working conditions of medical representative.
As per the survey it has found that less than 20 percent of medical representative are well acquainted about various legal provision/Acts .applicable to them and only 30 percent of them are the active members of trade union though it is very strong.
O.S.G. (Organized Sector Group companies) are those were either company or FMRA recognizes trade union and U.S.G. (Unorganized Sector GROUP) members company those that are not recognized by company or F.M.R.A. It is miserable fact that, today less than thirty pharmaceutical company’s medical representative are recognized under O.S.G. and rest thousands of medical representative are struggling for their right to form a proper trade union. Also it has observed those senior medical representatives are practicing actively in the various activities of trade union.
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It is the fact that a medical representative having pharmacy or science background has a little knowledge about various legal provision and acts applicable to them. And pharmaceutical companies always take a stand to abuse them to become un-united, as a result of it many of medical representative are having misconceptions about trade union.
A decade ago Pharmaceutical Companies, had undertaken massive removal of field workers that were united and members of F.M.R.A. The assumption was that they get sales growth directly through their customers by avoiding the role of medical representative. But the time has proved that they were wrong at their place and sale of the territory starts going down.
Then later, once again after few years they have appointed medical representative. If however Pharmaceutical Companies, had not done such activities against field workers that they could have done better than today’s sales volume. On one side Cipla has spoiled their image in front of trade unions on the other side they has benefited with the excess and unnecessary pressure exerted by FMRA for demands.
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Therefore researcher suggest that Pharmaceutical Companies, should place a positive attitude towards trade union of medical representative as it has a active role in marketing at certain places and join the hands with F.M.R.A. helps the company to solve grievances against field workers for the betterment of work culture.