Human Resource Management in the Indian Tea Industry

The tea plantation industry in India was affected by liberalization, privatization, and globalization policies in 1991, leading to reduced export share, price plunge, and profitability. To remain competitive, tea-producing companies have reduced costs, including labor costs, which have adversely affected 1.2 million workers. This has led to labor unrest and increased irregularities in payment of wages, affecting the quality of tea and profitability of the industry. This book examines human resource management practices in the Indian tea industry and adopts a simplified approach to showcase workforce management.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 88 pages
Publication date: 26 September 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

The Indian tea industry faced significant changes in the late 1990s due to the implementation of liberalization, privatization, and globalization policies under the leadership of Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao. These policies led to the removal of tariff barriers and quantity restrictions on imports, resulting in intense competition for the tea plantation industry. As a result, the share of Indian tea exports declined, prices plummeted, and profitability decreased.

To remain competitive, tea-producing companies were forced to reduce their costs, including labor costs. This led to a decline in the quality of tea and the industry's profitability, as companies were unable to fulfill their responsibilities towards their workers. Issues such as improper recruitment, lack of training facilities, and irregular wage payments increased significantly, affecting the well-being of 1.2 million workers in the tea industry.

Labour unrest and vulnerability in the industry resulted from these challenges. The final impact of these issues extended to the quality of tea and the industry's profitability, posing a significant threat to the sector.

This book aims to examine the existing human resource management practices in the Indian tea industry. It adopts a simplified yet comprehensive approach to showcase workforce management in the tea industry. The book will be valuable to postgraduate students, researchers, HR professionals, and policymakers in the fields of human resource management, business history, and industrial relations.

Weight: 195g
Dimension: 216 x 138 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367679125