Though job cuts are looming
large over the country's industrial players on account of the COVID-19
triggered lockdown, coating major Berger Paints stated that it has no plan for
salary cuts, retrenchment or involuntary furlough for its employees.
The company which has 2,920
employees on its roll also stated that there will be no impact of the crisis on
new recruitment offers.
Berger Paints MD & CEO
Abhijit Roy stated, “ We are like one big but closely-knit family and would
fight this battle together. These are challenging times and might require small
sacrifices from the entire family to sail through the crisis. However, there
won't be any retrenchments or involuntary furloughs.”.
Roy added that even in the
current scenario when sales in April fell own to negligible levels and May
business would depend on the (duration of) lockdown, the company will pay full
salaries to its employees for April and May.
The coating major has also
decided against any involuntary furloughs or organizational restructuring that
may lead to downsizing of headcount and consequent loss of livelihood. The
company had also engaged with its service providers to ensure that the salaries
of their associates are paid.
In addition, the company
has onboarded a total of 21 lateral employees in management and non-management
levels in April and the induction process of more than 100 campus offers is
expected to begin shortly.
While
many firms are resorting to job cuts, pay cuts, and delaying job offers, Berger
had chosen not to tread this path and neither revoke job offers even though the
lockdown will delay the joining of new hires. Much of India’s industrial and
manufacturing sector is closely working with various state authorities and in
this direction, Berger’s plants in Assam, Goa, Pondicherry, and Gujarat are in
line to get started with a capacity of 30 percent with strict adherence to the
MHA directives.
While the economic impact
of the lockdown will be a major one on the Indian industry, there is still a
respite in the way many firms are trying to save as many jobs as possible.
Source: People Matters 27
Apr, 2020
