Skip to main content

National TUs' betrayal? Birla-Century workers seek coop ownership

Counterview Desk
Well-known civil rights organization, Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA), which claims to have championed the cause of 900 protesting workers of the Birlas-owned Century mills in Madhya Pradesh, has taken strong objection to established unions such as INTUC (Congress), AITUC (CPI) and Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BJP) for failing to consult the workers in agreeing to choose the option of voluntary retirement scheme (VRS), one of the three offered by the Birlas.
Seeking wider support, an appeal signed by NBA leader Medha Patkar and others on Century workers’ year-long struggle says that most of the workers prefer to run the Mills as a workers’ cooperative, which also happens to be an option offered by the Birlas.

Text of the appeal:

It was exactly an year ago, on October 17, 2017, that more than 900 workers of Century Yarn & Century Denim Mills, located at village Santrati, district Khargone, in Madhya Pradesh adjacent to the Mumbai-Indore (to Agra) national highway, walked out of the factory premises owned and managed by Kumarmangalam Birla group’s Century Textiles & Industries Ltd. They refused to join Wearit Global Ltd, a corporate from Kolkata to whom Birlas claimed to have sold the mills with 84 acres of land, buildings, machinery etc. for a meager price of Rs 2.5 crore.
The workers were upset with the sale also because it took place hardly five days after a written commitment was signed by all, the authorized managers, revenue and labour officer, as well as police official. The agreement was a result of a peaceful sit-in by workers, once they came to know about the likely transfer or sale on August 17, 2017. The promise was about Century to run the mills or to pay the voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) as per the government rules.
However, the mills were ‘sold’ without due process of law, and hence the Industrial Tribunal passed two orders, the first one declaring the Business Transfer Agreement (BTA) to be ‘ingenuine’ and the second order (May 17, 2018) cancelling the BTA. The High Court of Madhya Pradesh also upheld the Industrial Tribunal’s conclusion regarding under estimation of value of the property as well as non-payment of stamp fee!
The courts also agreed with the workers that they were never on strike. On the other hand, they have been awaiting the Mills to be opened and work to be started. The companies lost the battle on this count too and hence the payment of wages has been on from May 2018 onwards till date to the Satyagrahi workers sitting outside the campus and staff, who are inside but without any work.
They all are, however, in disagreement with the Birlas not paying them the salaries for six and half months from October to April 2018 and the arrears as per the agreement in 2012. A relay fast is on in this issue since last 100 days, at the Satygraha Sthal, the company gate while the Labour Commissioner’s orders too are yet not fully complied with by Century-Birlas and the legal battle is on before the Industrial Tribunal, too.
It was in this context that the Birla management initiated a dialogue with the struggling workers and staff members after May 2018. The workers, who approached Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA), requesting us to guide and support them in October 2017, were frustrated with the Unions including Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), All-India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Century Ekta Union and Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS).
Yet NBA insisted on taking them along. In their name, the legal proceeding were carried forward while all the workers unitedly participated in mass action to legal action and myself too pleaded before the Labor Commissioner as well as the Industrial Tribunal, whenever needed.
The options put forth by Birlas were three:
  1. VRS to be paid as compensation for the lost job which was after much debate and deliberations was settled on 35:25 days salary for each year of past service and future years till retirement age. The Birlas refused to consider any higher amount as according to them, they are making a favour even when there are no rules for private companies to do so. 
  2. That the Century mills would be transferred for Re 1 without any liability to the workers’ cooperative or any entity and they could run the same and do whatever with the property. 
  3. Third was that Birlas would again sell it to some other company…. following the “due process” of law(?) 
We all have worked very hard on the second option, preparing ourselves to run the mills, seeking support and advice from experts, traders, bankers, etc., and are about to reach the final stage of registering a proper legal entity and signing the agreement with Birlas-Century.
However, there was a sudden blow when we found that all trade unions (the so-called authorized ones) have unitedly passed a resolution favouring VRS i.e ‘Cash, Not the Mills’. This is signed by a handful of their office bearers, while more than 90 percent of workers and 40 percent of staff have made their notarized affidavits about the choice of the option to run the Mills.
The unions uniting beyond party lines, i.e. AITUC, INTUC, BMS and independent internal union, have certainly not even consulted the workers or staff nor have they thought it necessary to take a pro-worker position. They have not even taken in the workers as their members and yet they act as the ‘authorized’, against the wishes of the majority workers! They were with us in deliberations throughout and accepted going for whichever option the workers would select with us, the core representatives.
Can you imagine the Birlas avoiding a reply or response to the letters by representative group large number of workers? They cannot, and they should not, being fair, just and following the law.
The workers and the committed staff take it up as a challenge and have asked the Century to deal with and bring a settlement with the workers’ force, and not the Unions without united strength. During the celebration of the first anniversary of struggle, on October 17, we have issued a public notice to Birlas, “Hold discussions with us within 72 hours or the agitation will be further intensified for sure”.
Workers, with women and children, who too have been a part of the struggle for rightful alternative, over a year, have warned Century “not to back out from the offer”. They have been given October 31 as the deadline for the option to be chosen, that too by the Unions through their letter dated October 15. We have put up the banner saying: “These mills and resources belong to the workers and staff of Century Mills as a source for employment”.
The workers opt for becoming owners of the mills, which contributed to the nation and the company’s wealth with their toil over 25 full years, changing and challenging the present system!
Be with us! Do whatever you can please!
  • Write and appeal to the Unions like AITUC and INTUC to follow the workers’ wishes. 
  • Help us raise working capital worth crores through millions of workers and supporters across the country. 
  • Come forward to support the challenging task as professionals, experts, financiers, lawyers and co-strugglers. 
  • Do send your suggestions, visionary inputs, in this unique move forward, with due urgency.
  • Write to century.narmada@gmail.com.

Comments

TRENDING

Wave of disappearances sparks human rights fears for activists in Delhi

By Harsh Thakor*  A philosophy student from Zakir Hussain College, Delhi University, and an activist associated with Nazariya magazine, Rudra, has been reported missing since the morning of July 19, 2025. This disappearance adds to a growing concern among human rights advocates regarding the escalating number of detentions and disappearances of activists in Delhi.

How community leaders overcome obstacles to protect forests and pastures in remote villages

By Bharat Dogra  Dheera Ram Kapaya grew up in such poverty that, unable to attend school himself, he would carry another boy’s heavy school bag for five kilometers just to get a scoop of daliya (porridge). When he was finally able to attend school, he had to leave after class five to join other adolescent workers. However, as soon as opportunities arose, he involved himself in community efforts—promoting forest protection, adult literacy, and other constructive initiatives. His hidden talent for writing emerged during this time, and he became known for the songs and street play scripts he created to promote forest conservation, discourage child marriages, and support other social reforms.

‘Act of war on agriculture’: Aruna Rodrigues slams GM crop expansion and regulatory apathy

By Rosamma Thomas*  Expressing appreciation to the Union Agriculture Minister for inviting suggestions from farmers and concerned citizens on the sharp decline in cotton crop productivity, Aruna Rodrigues—lead petitioner in the Supreme Court case ongoing since 2005 that seeks a moratorium on genetically modified (GM) crops—wrote to Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on July 14, 2025, stating that conflicts of interest have infiltrated India’s regulatory system like a spreading cancer, including within the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR).

The GMO illusion: Three decades of hype, harm, and false hope

By Sridhar Radhakrishnan  Three decades of hype, billions of dollars spent, and still no miracle crop. It's time to abandon the GMO biotech fairy tale and return to the soil, the seed, and the farmer. “Trust us,” they said. “GMOs will feed the world.” Picture a world where there is plenty of food, no hunger, fields grow without chemical pesticides, children are saved from malnutrition, and people live healthily.

Sandra Gonzalez Sanabria: An inspiring life from Colombia’s Amazonian valley

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  In the village of Héctor Ramírez, known as Agua Bonita, in La Montañita, Caquetá, Colombia, a vision of peace and renewal is unfolding. In the pre-2016 period, this would have been nearly impossible for outsiders to visit, as it was the epicenter of violent resistance against state oppression. However, after the Peace Accord was signed between the Colombian government and former revolutionaries—marking the end of a 70-year insurgency that claimed over 400,000 lives until 2025, including civilians, rebel fighters, and security personnel—things began to change. Visiting Agua Bonita during the Global Land Forum in Bogotá revealed a village of hope and resilience. Former FARC revolutionaries have settled here and transformed the village into a center of peace and aspiration.

Overriding India's constitutional sovereignty? Citizens urge PM to reject WHO IHR amendments

By A Representative   A group of concerned Indian citizens, including medical professionals and activists, has sent an urgent appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to reject proposed amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) before the ratification deadline of July 19, 2025. 

Indigenous Karen activist calls for global solidarity amid continued struggles in Burma

By A Representative   At the International Festival for People’s Rights and Struggles (IFPRS), Naw Paw Pree, an Indigenous Karen activist from the Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG), shared her experiences of oppression, resilience, and hope. Organized with the support of the International Indigenous Peoples Movement for Self-Determination and Liberation (IPMSDL), the event brought together Indigenous and marginalized communities from across the globe, offering a rare safe space for shared learning, solidarity, and expression.

Activists allege abduction and torture by Delhi Police Special Cell in missing person probe

By A Representative   A press statement released today by the Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) alleges that several student and social activists have been abducted, illegally detained, and subjected to torture by the Delhi Police Special Cell. The CASR claims these actions are linked to an investigation into the disappearance of Vallika Varshri, an editorial team member of 'Nazariya' magazine.

India’s zero-emission, eco-friendly energy strategies have a long way to go, despite impressive progress

By N.S. Venkataraman*   The recent report released by OPEC’s World Oil Outlook 2025 has predicted that by the year 2050, crude oil would replace coal as India’s key energy source. Clearly, OPEC expects that India’s dependence on fossil fuels for energy will continue to remain high in one form or another.