Mill workers lathicharged

MUMBAI, January 1: Police lathi-charge welcomed Khatau Mill workers today as they tried to `take over’ the mill.

A worker Giridhar Jadhav received an eye injury and has been admitted to KEM hospital. The workers assembled at the gates following a call given by the Girni Kamgar Sangharsh Samiti to `take over’ the mill on January 1. When they were prevented from entering by the police, they tried to break the police cordon. The `takeover’ was prompted by the Khatau management’s inability to pay the workers their wages since February, 1997 and their bonus for the year 1995-96. The workers, however, could not enter the spinning or weaving units as these were being guarded by the police. They squatted in the mill compound after signing the muster. Nobody from the management was present at the mill.

The Khatau management has submitted a proposal for revival of the mill to the BIFR, which is being monitored by the ICICI. Although Panna Khatau put up a notice in the mill on November 24 informing workers that the mill would be revived soon, nothing has materialised so far. The workers were supposed to receive their wages by December 20, but the mill owners got an extension for disbursing the amount. “We are being made victims of this constant delay by the ICICI and the management,” said Tukaram Mannegekar, one of the 4,000-odd workers who has put his signature to a workers’ co-operative proposal.