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Journalism of Courage
Just a week after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee assured workers of the Jessop factory at Dum Dum where she had gone to address an election rally on May 8, that she would look after the interests of the workers, the management of the premier concern on Thursday suspended work at the factory.
The notice announcing the decision said, among other things, that it was the alleged hooliganism of a section of the workers that compelled the management to take this step.
This is the first time in the 226-year-old history of the company that it was closed down by the management under Ruia Group which took over the company from the Union government on August 17, 2003. The Dum Dum factory is spread around 70 acres and employs 635 workers.
On seeing the notice announcing suspension of work, angry workers, staged a blockade of the busy Jessore Road leading to Kolkata airport, leading to a total disruption of traffic.
The West Bengal government had called for a tripartite meeting on May 19 to sort out the issue.
“The Ruia Group has taken both us and the employees for a ride. They looted the assets of the company but now they are blaming the employees for the present situation. We have several options including taking over the company. But we will not allow people to play ducks and drakes with the lives of workers,” state labour minister Purnendu Bose told The Indian Express.
On Wednesday Bose had sent officials to the Jessop unit to collect documents like pay slips of the workers etc.
The labourers blamed the mamagement of the company for the situation. “We have orders for railway wagons worth Rs 600 crore, we have orders for roadrollers too but Ruia is not doing anything. We have not been receiving salary for the last seven months. No PF or Gratuity is being given,’’ said union leader Utpal Ghosh.
Jessop is a premier engineering company that manufactures cranes, roadrollers, railway wagons and EMUs. It was set up by the British in 1788 was taken over by the Central government in 1973. It was divested in 2003 and was taken over by the Pawan Ruia Group.
