Unhappy Dunlop workers meet minister

Express News Service Posted: Jul 01, 2008 at 0118 hrs
Kolkata, June 30 Almost two years after a memorandum was signed between the workers union and the new management of Dunlop India Private Ltd, the workers of Sahagunj Dunlop factory are still a dissatisfied lot. Dunlop was bought over from MR Chhabria by PK Ruia.

CITU leaders met Industry Minister Nirumpam Sen, with their concerns and demanded immediate solutions.

Deepankar Roy, general secretary of the CITU wing said, “We met Sen to tell him about our problems because it was in front of him that the memorandum was signed.”

The trade unions claimed that the 1,425 workers who were considered under the Early Retirement Scheme were supposed to get all their dues and payments cleared by April 2007. “But till now there are 850 workers who are yet to get their dues and we want this to be addressed,” said Roy.

The workers also demanded that production should be atleast 75 tonnes per day as compared to last month’s 30 tonnes per day. The workers are apprehensive that if the production level does not increase, viability of the company would go down.

Their list of demands also consisted of minimum bonus for workers along with the full money under the one time settlement scheme.

“Ruias have not taken the initiative to return to the workers the 16-and-a-half months provident fund that is pending. Because of this workers are suffering as they are not able to draw pensions,” said the CITU trade union wing secretary.