UditVani, Jamshedpur: In a landmark move, Tata Motors is set to release its tenth batch list on Thursday, confirming the regularisation of 225 “by-six” (temporary) workers at its Jamshedpur plant. With this development, the number of remaining temporary workers will shrink to just 200, whose absorption is scheduled for June—marking the end of a decades-old system that has defined the company’s workforce structure for nearly 50 years.
The phased regularisation follows a directive from the Jharkhand High Court, which ordered the company to formalise all temporary workers after petitions highlighted prolonged job insecurity.
Historically, many workers remained temporary for 15 to 25 years, often attaining permanent status only a few years before retirement.
The absence of social security benefits and vulnerability during economic downturns made the system increasingly contentious.
In compliance with the court’s order, the company, in coordination with its union and labour authorities, devised a structured plan to absorb approximately 2,700 temporary workers in batches of 225 every three months.
The agreement, finalised in January 2024, is now approaching completion. A significant policy shift has also been introduced in worker grading.
Previously, absorbed workers were placed in the lower-paying JO grade. However, a recent wage settlement has replaced both JO and the older E grade with a unified T grade structure, ensuring pay parity. As a result, newly regularised employees are expected to earn between Rs 60,000 and Rs 70,000 per month, aligning them with existing permanent staff.
In another major reform, the company has discontinued the Tata Motors Skill Training (TMST) pathway, which earlier served as a feeder system but often led to prolonged temporary employment. Going forward, recruitment will take place through the Full-Time Apprentice (FTA) route, offering structured training, opportunities for diploma education, and eventual direct entry into the permanent workforce pool.
Union representatives have termed this transition as a historic correction, asserting that the High Court’s intervention rendered the continuation of temporary employment models untenable. The June batch is now expected to formally close a long chapter in the company’s industrial history.
