Communication of Company Plans
All major business developments and decisions involving expansion, growth and financial performance of the organisation are shared with employees and other stakeholders through several communication media and platforms. These include ‘ITC News’, the corporate house journal which reaches out to all employees within the organisation and Intranet portals like the ‘Learning Curve’, ‘Manthan’ and ‘Bhadranet’. Senior managers of the Company visit each location to communicate business plans to help align employees’ aspirations and efforts with corporate and business goals.

Employee Benefit Schemes
ITC has a number of employee benefit schemes that go much beyond what is legally mandated. One of these is the ‘post retirement non-contributory pension’, which was launched in 1986 as a platinum jubilee gift for unionised employees. Some of the other employee benefit options in this category include the Family Hospitalisation Assistance Scheme, Welfare Assistance, Accident Relief, Emergency Relief, supply of uniforms to all unionised employees, and in some locations, also to management staff.

ITC also offers Housing Loan Assistance, Educational Assistance and coaching classes for employees’ children at Munger, Saharanpur, Chirala, and Anarparti, career guidance for employees’ children at Kidderpore and the Head Office in Kolkata.

Recreation Clubs have been set up at Bengaluru, Kidderpore, Munger, Bhadrachalam, Tribeni and all ILTD locations. There are ITC-aided schools in remote locations like Tiruvottiyur, Munger, Saharanpur, Tribeni and Bhadrachalam. ITC has set up subsidised canteens in factories and other establishments and co-operative stores at some of its locations. Co-operative societies in most ITC establishments promote thrift and provide loans on nominal interest charges.

ITC-Welcomgroup runs a premier hotel management institute, the Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration at Manipal in Karnataka. It is run in association with the Dr TMA Pai Foundation, affiliated to the Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), a deemed university. The institution runs a 4-year Bachelor of Hotel Management programme and is considered a leader in this field.

ITC’s Hotels Business also runs the Welcomgroup Hotel Management Institute at Gurgaon, near Delhi.

Human Rights All relevant principles and guidelines pertaining to human rights, as prescribed by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), have been enshrined in the Indian Constitution. These form the bulwark of the different labour statutes prevalent in our country that guide our operations.

In the management of businesses and operations that create economic value for the nation, ITC scrupulously adheres to all the applicable laws and regulations at all levels. The Factories Act and the Shops and Establishments Act forbid the use of child labour. All ITC Units strictly comply with this policy. According to ITC’s standing instructions, anybody who has not completed eighteen years of age cannot be employed. The policy is enforced not only through the Company’s Human Resources function, but also, through the Company’s security system that prevents minors from entering any ITC premises to work. ITC’s labour policies and work culture encourage freedom of association across different classes of employees and do not allow for any form of discrimination or forced labour.

ITC conducts its disciplinary procedures in strict conformity with the principles of natural justice and in accordance with the Company’s Standing Orders and Standing Instructions at each business location.

Maintaining absolute neutrality in dealing with people’s grievances and ensuring natural justice are the cornerstones of ITC’s interaction with its people and confidential handling of employees’ grievances. Compliance with statutes and corporate policies is regularly monitored by the Corporate Internal Audit function, external statutory auditors and relevant statutory authorities, who are responsible for ensuring the framing, implementation and monitoring of these statutes.

ITC is committed to ensuring a gender-friendly workplace in order to:

• Provide equal opportunities for men and women
• Prevent/stop/redress sexual harassment at the workplace
• Guarantee good employment practices

ITC Hotels Limited, a subsidiary of ITC Limited, has a similar Committee based in Delhi.