The word ‘Salahe’ comes from the southern Indian language Kannada and means ‘suggestion’. Project Salahe was conceptualized as part of Super Dry’s Respect and Dignity programme. Its primary objectives are to ensure equal voices, equal treatment, and improved worker well-being. Adhering to Indian Labour Code Principles, the program provides training and awareness to management, supervisors, and workers in five key areas:

1. Curbing corruption
2. Conflict management
3. Effective grievance redressal mechanisms
4. Interpersonal relationship management
5. Prevention of sexual harassment at the workplace (POSH)

Through effective grievance redressal, issues such as canteen food quality, cafeteria hygiene, use of suggestion boxes, and the nature of committee meetings have been addressed.

Project Goals

Project Salahe aims to create an environment where all workers, regardless of their location, have access to workplaces that respect and treat them with dignity. It seeks to provide equal opportunities for workers to express their views through effective worker committees and robust grievance mechanisms. When a factory joins the program, a baselining exercise is conducted to assess policies, systems, data, and worker awareness, determined through extensive worker interviews. For example, interviews revealed that verbally abusive language from superiors had become commonplace, highlighting the need for change.

Project Reach and Tools

The project is currently running in five factories across multiple cities in India, directly engaging around 7,000 employees. Engagement tools include ice-breaking exercises, one-on-one interactions, questionnaires, quizzes, PowerPoint presentations, and assessments at various stages of the project.

Expansion and Impact

Originally designed for Super Dry’s Respect and Dignity programme, Project Salahe has evolved into a multi-brand compliance and capacity-building initiative, with more factories joining. Its uniqueness as a one-of-a-kind project has attracted interest from other brands. Over the course of a year, thousands of workers have been trained in person by a training facilitator from Inosculation Hub. This personal approach helps establish rapport with factory workers, empowering them to suggest workplace improvements and address grievances effectively.

Project Salahe continues to pave the way for creating respectful and dignified workplaces, setting a benchmark for worker engagement and well-being in the manufacturing sector.