The many faces of care

Alike the concern with which the founders built the model city of Jamshedpur, the Tata employees too, share a similar relation of care and affection with their employers. The Tatas were the first employers to introduce the 8-hour working day (1912), free medical aid (1915), workers’ provident fund scheme (1920) and many other welfare schemes even before they were introduced in the West. The “employee association with management” programme initiated in 1956 gave the workers a stronger voice in the affairs of the Company. Forty-one joint departmental councils were formed to encourage their involvement in matters as diverse as production, quality improvement, safety measures, etc. The industrial harmony propaganda of the Company believes that “the welfare of the labouring class must be one of the first cares of the employer”.