The HR/IR Committee of BCC&I in collaboration with Calcutta Management Association organized a ‘Union Leadership Development Programme’ at Peerless Inn with the objective of interacting with unions/employees of esteemed companies present in West Bengal and to encourage and enlighten them with good management mantra and about responsible trade unionism.
Guest Speakers at this event included Mrs. R Devadason (Management Consultant), Mr. S S Maitra (Former Chief General Manager – HR & IR Haldia Petrochemicals), Mrs. Suchitra Guha (Former Chief HR & IR, Tata Steel Ltd.) on October 30th and Mr. A K Basu (Former Jt. President – HR, Corp Affairs & Legal, Hindalco India Ltd.), Prof. Amit Sengupta (Director EIM), Mr. Sovandeb Chattopadhyay, Mr. Ramen Pandey, Mr. Debanjan Chakroborty (Veteran Trade Union Leaders), Moderator Mr. Gautam Ray (ED, CESC), Mr. Somesh Dasgupta (President Corp Affairs & Admin, IPCL & National President NIPM) on October 31st.
Mr. S S Maitra observed that a culture based on leadership and participation is a culture in which everyone accepts their rights, roles and responsibilities and works together to achieve a common goal. Leadership goes hand in hand with participation. Management from the top down must demonstrate commitment, which is responsible for creating the conditions for partnership and participation. Without good leadership, participation will not succeed. Mr. A K Basu noted that to strengthen the union organization there is a need to expose intelligent younger members to various joint forums. There is also a need to regularly communicate with members of what is the requirement of the unit for survival and develop strong knowledgeable internal leadership.
All of the union leaders were of the opinion that Employee-Employer-Government relationship has to be more close and strong. They emphasized a radical charter of demands for the union. Company’s growth would translate to employees’ growth. Hindrances if any will neither help the employee nor the company to grow. The company must pay attention to stakeholders. The leaders expressed their willingness to participate in this type of workshop whenever conducted in the future.