~ The theme for this year is Fostering Trust through Transparency ~

Tata Steel observed opening ceremony of the Ethics Month, today, at Steelenium Hall. The day marked the beginning of a month-long celebration to commemorate the values of integrity, unity, excellence, understanding and responsibility, hallmark of the Tata group and its former Chairman, J R D Tata.

The celebration, this year, will focus on the theme ‘Fostering Trust through Transparency’. The Corporate Ethics department, Tata Steel has lined up a series of events such as Poster competition, Skit, Quiz, Debate, Round Table Discussions etc for the month of July. These events will not only encourage participation of the employees and the community at large, but will also help to reinforce the Tata values among its employees.

Chief Guest on the occasion Mr Anand Sen, President, TQM & Steel Business, Tata Steel, shared his views on ‘ethics beyond the next horizon’, saying ‘Ethics is a matter of pride for all of us. The trust or credibility that an organisation or its individuals have without explaining every step of the way as one goes along is according to me the first sign of ethics. The most fundamental aspect in ethics is to do what one has promised to do.’

The Guest of Honour, Mr Satish Singh, Assistant Secretary, Tata Workers’ Union (TWU) in his speech opined that raising one’s voice against an unethical practice should be encouraged in order to bring about transparency in the organisation. He appreciated the concept of ‘whistle blower’, adding that employees should be encouraged to utilise such streamlined services for the benefit of the company.

The opening ceremony was marked by the launch of the Ethics mascot – a fisted hand, wherein each of its folded fingers symbolise the five core values - integrity, unity, excellence, understanding and responsibility – by Mr Anand Sen and Mr Satish Singh. A musical fiesta by Tata Steel employees had the audience enthralled during the Launch ceremony.

About Tata Steel
Established in 1907 as Asia's first integrated private sector steel company, Tata Steel Group is among the top global steel companies with an annual crude steel capacity of nearly 30 million tonnes per annum (MnTPA). It is now the world's second-most geographically-diversified steel producer, with operations in 26 countries and a commercial presence in over 50 countries. The Tata Steel Group, with a turnover of US$ 24.81 billion in FY 14, has over 80,000 employees across five continents and is a Fortune 500 company. The Group’s vision is to be the world’s steel industry benchmark in “Value Creation” and “Corporate Citizenship” through the excellence of its people, its innovative approach and overall conduct. Underpinning this vision is a performance culture committed to aspiration targets, safety and social responsibility, continuous improvement, openness and transparency. In 2008, Tata Steel India became the first integrated steel plant in the world, outside Japan, to be awarded the Deming Application Prize 2008 for excellence in Total Quality Management. In 2012, Tata Steel became the first integrated steel company in the world, outside Japan, to win the Deming Grand Prize 2012 instituted by the Japanese Union of Scientists and Engineers.