The remaining 154 employees were detained at the main gate by protestors of the Dunlop Bachao Nagarik Mancha (DBNM), backed by the Trinamool Congress.

The DBNM claimed that 26 of the 75 workers who entered the factory actually belonged to the group of 229 staff and the remaining are general members of the CITU.

“Only 26 workers of those who joined today belong to the 229 maintenance staff. The rest are CITU workers, who went inside the factory merely to mislead the people. We want all the workers to be reinstated before the work resume. How can the factory suddenly open before the tripartite talks,” said Tapan Dasgupta, DBNM president. Management sources said nearly 100 workers joined work on Friday and production will start soon.

Dasgupta said seven of the 26 workers who joined work came out after a few hours as there was no electricity and water supply inside the factory. “How can production start without power? The factory will be closed after the election as it happened earlier,” said Dasgupta.

The Mancha members began an agitation in front of the gate from early morning wearing black badges and black clothes. To avoid clash, police made the workers enter the factory from the back gate.

The factory management had announced a few days about resumption of work. However, only 229 maintenance staff of the 1,189 workers were asked to join work.

The Trinamool-led union has announced to stage a peaceful dharna until the workers’ dues are cleared.

The Dunlop Rubber Factory Union led by INTUC feels that the opening of the factory is more important.

“True, the arrears of the workers have to be cleared first. But we feel that the opening of the factory is more important than keeping it closed,” said Subrata Mukherjee, state president of INTUC.