Buoyed with the support of a number of employee and farmer organisations, the striking employees of PepsiCo’s FritoLays unit here today blocked traffic on the busy Sangrur-Patiala highway for over four hours.
Commuters were a harried lot as the striking employees held a rally outside the PepsiCo’s unit on the state highway in the morning.
While elaborate arrangements were made by the police to avoid any untoward incident, the dharna passed off peacefully without any violence. Traffic had to be diverted through the villages in the area to avoid inconvenience to commuters.
The striking employees were supported by members of BKU (Ekta), Ugrahan group, BKU (Punjab), Dakonda group, All-India Trade Union Congress, Khet Mazdoor Sabha, Punjab Kisan Sabha, PSEB Employees’ Federation, Technical Services’ Union and Dehati Mazdoor Sabha, besides some other farmers and employee organisations.
Though talks have been on to resolve the dispute between the management and workers, they have failed as the striking staff has been seeking reinstatement of its terminated president and 12 suspended employees.
The district authorities and Sangrur MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa have also joined the negotiations. The unit, meanwhile, has been closed since August 19.
