Women employees of Tata Steel gain recognition from EPFO

Both employees are from Tata Steel’s Noamundi Iron Mine in Jharkhand, recognition marks another milestone in Company’s journey of diversity and inclusion.

Jamshedpur: Tata Steel is extremely proud to announce that two of its women employees have been recognized by the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), under the aegis of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, on the occasion of International Women’s Day.

Aruna Narayan Sankatala and Bipasha Biswas, who work at Tata Steel’s Noamundi Iron Mine in Jharkhand, were recognised by EPFO at New Delhi on the occession of International Women’s Day. Bhupender Yadav, Hon’ble Minister for Labour Employment, Forest & Climate Change, Government of India facilitated the women employees of Tata Steel.

The achievement is yet another feather in the cap of Tata Steel, where diversity and inclusion is the norm, and fair and equal opportunities are provided to all employees. Ore Mines & Quarries (QMQ) Division of Tata Steel became the first mining division in India where women employees were deployed in all the three shifts from September 1, 2019. The initiative included women employees of every category, such as officers, employees and contract workers.

Taking forward the women@mines initiatives, Noamundi Iron Mine inducted the first batch of 23 women Heavy Earth Moving Machinery (HEMM) operators on February 1, 2021 and all of them have been trained and alredy working in the mines. This was followed by West Bokaro where 17 women HEMM operators were inducted on August 4, 2021 and these women are undergoing training for a period of a year post which they will start working. In all, Tata Steel has onboarded 40 women as HEMM operators in mines.

DB Sundara Ramam, Vice President, Raw Materials, Tata Steel, said, “Tata Steel has always provided career opportunities to talented youth from the community, and this recognition is yet another milestone in this journey. Tata Steel is an equal opportunity employer where diversity and inclusion is not a choice, but a way of life. The vision is to make Tata Steel a world-class employer where everyone is respected and every voice is heard. The organisation makes constant endeavours to create an enabling workplace for all diverse groups, embracing the differences in the individuals.”

In the future, Tata Steel plans to hire more women in its ecosystem—at its offices and factories alike. As the steel major gradually moves towards a hybrid worj environment model, the way forward is to employ a higher percentage of diverse workgroups and redesign policies and processes to create a sense of belonging and foster an inclusive culture. Long-term goals like creating a 25% diverse workforce by 2025 strengthens the organisation’s commitment to ensuring an enabling environment that is sensitive and inclusive.