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Labour unrest in Bathinda: over 130 picked up from homes as ‘Noida-style’ wage protests hit Sportking unit
Sportking factory workers in Bathinda, mostly women, are protesting for higher wages and improved working conditions.
Members of the BKU Ugrahan and the Punjab Khet Mazdoor Union and other labourers protest on the Bathinda-Amritsar national highway demanding the release of the detainees. (Photo by special arrangement).
Apparently taking a cue from the recent labour unrest in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, workers—mostly women—of Sportking India Limited at its unit in Punjab’s Bathinda are demanding higher wages and better working conditions.
The agitation began on April 19 when employees protested outside the factory, alleging low wages and poor increments. The management then sought a week’s time to address the concerns, following which the protest was temporarily withdrawn. However, after a meeting between workers, management, and district administration failed to yield a resolution on Sunday, tensions resurfaced and employees sat on a dharna outside the unit in the afternoon.
The situation escalated when more than 130 workers, including members of Naujawan Bharat Sabha and Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan), were picked up from their homes and detained at three different police stations early on Monday. This triggered fresh protests, with remaining workers assembling on the Bathinda–Amritsar highway and demanding their release.
Shingara Singh Mann, president of the BKU (Ugrahan) Bathinda unit, said the protesters lifted their dharna on Sunday afternoon after receiving an assurance of administrative intervention.
Adding to the protests, Lachhaman Singh Sewewala, general secretary of Punjab Khet Mazdoor Union, said, “Workers also staged a dharna outside the Nandgarh, Killi Nihal Singh Wala, and Naiyanwala police stations, where the detained workers are being held.”
Workers are demanding a minimum monthly salary of Rs 26,000, alleging that many are paid on a per-piece basis and receive minimal annual increments despite years of service.
Sources indicated that the factory is not operating at full capacity, with only a limited number of workers reporting for duty.
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Responding to the allegations, company chairman Munish Awasthi said, “We are already paying salaries higher than what workers receive elsewhere in the state. Around 2,500 employees work here, and labour department officials have verified our records. Most employees have no issues; a few outsiders, like farmer unions, are instigating unrest. We are in talks with workers and have already offered a wage increase.”
Awasthi added that the administration was assisting in resolving the issue, and expressed hope for an early settlement.
Factory sources, meanwhile, said that some workers willing to resume duty were being prevented from entering the premises by protesters—a charge denied by unions backing the agitation.
Sportking India Limited, which set up its Bathinda unit in Jeeda village in 2010, operates multiple manufacturing facilities across Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh and has over 1,000 retail outlets nationwide with a group turnover exceeding Rs 1,500 crore, according to its website. The unit had not witnessed any major labour unrest in the past.
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Sources also pointed out that following recent labour issues in Noida, wage-related tensions have surfaced at several industrial units in Punjab, though most were resolved through negotiations. The Bathinda situation, however, remains fluid, with protests continuing and administrative intervention underway.
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