Management case against factory staff boomerangs

“The ethanol,which we did not allow to be delivered,was sold for Rs 5 crore and we demanded that the money should be used for our wages,” said union president Tatyasaheb Kale.

The order passed by Judge Shrikant Deshpande on June 15 said “the pleadings regarding obstruction of vehicles appear to be vague and not supported with any documents”. It also directed the factory to pay the unpaid salary of the employees.

However,the judgment has brought only partial relief to employees as only two months’ wages have been paid. Balasaheb Bandhale,a junior clerk at the factory,had to borrow nearly Rs 40,000 from family and friends. “It’s a difficult time. I have two school-going children. We needed money for admission and house repairs.”

Kale said the factory management is yet to spend Rs 3.5 crore more on paying wages for April,May and June. He said the union is now planning to keep track of all payments to the factory.

Advocate Ashok Gupte,counsel for the management,said the factory had to pay dues to sugarcane growers also. “As it was important to spend the income of Rs 5 crore for all the three stakeholders,the factory management had agreed to pay the wages in proportion to the employees.”