Following the dismissal of six employees in the bribes-for-jobs scandal at TCS, another subsidiary of the Tata Group, Tata Steel, has acted against 35 people for breaching its code of conduct.
Tata Steel Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran said: “We have taken action against 38 people who have been dismissed by the company”
He clarified 35 employees were fired for engaging in ” unacceptable practices bordering on ethical issues,” while three were dismissed due to instances of sexual misconduct.
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After receiving multiple whistleblower complaints concerning various issues such as abuse of authority, conflicts of interest, and violations of contract management agreements,
Tata Steel conducted an investigation and subsequently implemented measures.
Addressing shareholders during Tata Steel’s annual general meeting, Chandrasekaran highlighted the company’s recent significant acquisitions and its commitment to fostering an open culture.
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He said: “Employees are encouraged to voice their concerns, whether related to sexual harassment or any questionable practices they observe within the company. We are actively promoting the recording of grievances.
“Due to these efforts, we have seen an increase in the number of complaints. In the previous fiscal year, we received 875 complaints, including 158 from whistleblowers, 48 related to safety, and 669 concerning HR and other behavioral issues.”
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“As a company, we are a global benchmark, so we will continue to push the culture where we uphold the highest values and have a zero-tolerance policy,”
Chandrasekaran, who also serves as the Chairman of the Tata Group, expressed his consideration for establishing a group chief safety officer to oversee safety aspects across all Tata companies.
This proposal emerged following a blast furnace incident at Tata Steel’s Odisha plant that resulted in injuries to 18 individuals.
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While the group’s objective is to achieve zero fatalities throughout its businesses, Chandrasekaran acknowledged that “unfortunately, we still witness fatalities, often attributable to human error.”
He said: “One of the things that gets discussed in all our companies, not only in Tata Steel, is safety.
“Our goal is to achieve zero fatality across the group. One action we have taken is that every board meeting starts with a safety update.
“Second is that we have created a grouping, where CEOs of all top companies including Tata Steel, Tata Power and Tata Motors, and their key leadership, have been brought together to drive zero fatality across businesses.
“This has been in function for the past two years.”
