Hi Friends,

Even as I launch this today ( my 80th Birthday ), I realize that there is yet so much to say and do. There is just no time to look back, no time to wonder,"Will anyone read these pages?"

With regards,
Hemen Parekh
27 June 2013

Now as I approach my 90th birthday ( 27 June 2023 ) , I invite you to visit my Digital Avatar ( www.hemenparekh.ai ) – and continue chatting with me , even when I am no more here physically

Wednesday 31 December 1986

EMPLOYEE SEMINAR" AT LONAVLA

Synopsis: Communication For Productivity
Letters written to some 7500 Workers / Managers / Union Leaders, following a period of strike / Go slow / Murders (1979 - 1987), at Mumbai factory of Larsen & Toubro Ltd. This direct / open / honest communication led to a remarkable atmosphere of trust between Workers and Management, which, in turn, increased productivity at 3% per year (ave). 

31 Dec 1986

To:

Corporate Management Members (Individually)            

SUB :   "EMPLOYEE SEMINAR" AT LONAVLA"

I have been  continually discussing with  our Union, the need to maintain  an on-going process of  relationship between the Management on  the one  hand and  Union and  employees on the other, since  I  believe that management of  productivity  in the  coming  years will  depend  increasingly  on  the  single crucial  factor  of  employee  motivation through  harmonious employee-employer  relations.   The response  from  our  Union has been  very encouraging  and as an  important step  towards this end, it was  jointly decided by us and the Onion  to hold a  seminar,  away  from the  work  environment,  to generally discuss  important  issues  which  require  solutions  in the coming years and  to invite the Union Committee Members  (Shop Representatives)   as   well  as   the  JGMs   and   DGMs   of Manufacturing Units to participate.

The  Union suggested  that the  seminar  should be  held at  a facility  with the  bks, which  was  recently commissioned  at Lonavla  -  "SWAPNA  POORTI"  where  seminar  hall  and  other facilities  are  available.  Management  agreed  to  bear  the expenses  for  the  seminar.  We  also  invited  Shri  Dattaji Salvi   and  Shri   Ramakant  More,   president  and   General Secretary  of  the  parent BKS  Body,  to participate  in  the seminar, and they also accepted  the invitation.

The  final list of. participants comprised  the President  and General Secretary 'of the parent body of the Union,  the Joint Secretaries of the  L&T Unit, and the committee Members  (Shop Representatives)  of  Powai, Madh  and City  Offices,  totally numbering about 165 persons.   From Management side, Messrs, A.Y. Divekar, V.S. Kaushikkar, S.  Samu, R.B. Bhambhani,  P.M. Mehta,  J.P. Madan,  Kalyan Chakravarti, A.M. Deshmukh, V.P.Singh  and  the undersigned participated.

The participants  left  for Lonavla  in our  buses on  Friday, the 19th December,  1986 after the end  of the 1st shift,  and spent  the  night  in   Lonavla.  The   seminar  was  held  on Saturday (weekly off),  the 20th December 1986, between 8.00 a.m. and  4.00 p.m.  The stated objectives of this  joint seminar were :

1.  to educate  the Shop Representatives  regarding the Company,   its   operations and its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT),



2.   to  throw  up for  discussion  and  debate,  issues which in the perception of the  Management and the Union representatives,  are  or
will  be  vital for the continued prosperity of  L&T in general and the     
Powai Unit in particular,

3.   to accelerate the PARTICIPATIVE PROCESS.                      


The seminar programme  was designed to devote as much time  as possible  to  discussion  and  debate  of  vital   issues  and therefore, 3  1/2 hours were allotted  for this purpose.   The rest of  the time was  devoted to a presentation  on L&T as a Company,  the  employer-employee   participative  process   in Japan, and talk  by the  Union leaders as  well as Management Representatives on issues before the Company.
                                                    
The  enthusiastic response  from  the Union  leaders  and the Shop Representatives  was beyond  expectation and  to a  large extent,  this seminar objectives  have been  fulfilled.   This has  laid the ground for  further seminars of  this nature  at which  the shop-supervisors and  workmen can also  be brought together  to  strengthen  ' the bonds  of  the  participative process.

Our  immediate plan  is to conduct  2 seminars,  covering  the Foremen and  Production/Assistant Production Managers.   These are  scheduled  for  3rd January  1987  and  4th  April  1987. These will  be  followed by joint  seminars at  which  Foremen and Shop Representatives/workmen shall participate.

A video  recording of  the seminar proceedings  has been made and  I would request  that  I may be  permitted  to present  a part of  the video tape  at the next  Policy Review Committee Meeting, alongwith  a part of  the video  tape which we  shall make for the proposed  Foremen's seminar.

H.C. PAREKH

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