The struggle of the workers of Century Mills in village Satrati, district Khargone, located on the Mumbai-Indore Highway, has completed 500 days. The relay hunger strike in front of the Mills gate and the labour office has completed 230 days. The workers are demanding Business Transfer Agreement (BTA) with the Mills management, under which the workers would run the Mills, as the owners want to close it down.
BTA is sought to be implemented following an Industrial Tribunal ruling, which directs the present management not to close down the Mills and hand it over to the workers, numbering close to 1,000. The management, says the National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM), which is fighting for the workers' rights, is refusing to implement the Industrial Tribunal order.
As the management does not want to run the Mills, NAPM insists, it can give workers the option of either taking VRS, take a cash amount (which can be up to a maximum of Rs 5 lakh), or hand over the Mills to the workers. NAPM adds, while about 90% of the workers decided that they want to run the mills, the management is using unions like AITUC and INTUC to "betrayed the workers.
Says NAPM, "We condemn the role of such unions who are working against the majority of workers and obstructing their employment. We expect these unions to stop creating hurdle. Why don't the unions not like workers to take a democratic decision?"
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