Sunday, May 22, 2011

Talks concluded unilaterally without informing the workers or their representatives

Talks between V N Dyers and administration illegal
·       Talks concluded unilaterally without informing the workers or their representatives
No discussion on the main demand of the workers of reinstating 18 dismissed workers
·       14 labour leaders including two women continue their fast-unto-death in jail
The fact finding team completes its investigation,
 prima facie administration’s role found to be negative

New Delhi, May 22. Citizens Front in support of Gorakhpur Worker's Movement has termed the talks held on yesterday evening between the owner of V N Dyers Vishnu Ajit Sariya, labour department and administration as illegal and against the law. According to the morcha, in this unilateral talks held on yesterday 
the representatives of workers were not included. It is clear from this that the Gorakhpur administration is acting in favour of the factory owners as the workers and their representatives were not even informed about these talks. These talks which were conducted without the representatives of workers is totally illegal and no discussion took place in it regarding the main demand of the worker, i.e. reinstating the 18 workers who were dismissed illegally.
The front stated that the owners and workers could hold talks but the owners, labour department and administration excluded the workers from it and took the decision of starting the factory on their own. Not only this, in these talks the owners and administration have issued false statements that it was because of the workers that the lock-out is effective since April 30. The fact of the matter is that the owners of V N Dyers had disconnected the electricity on April 10 itself and forcibly started lock out since then. From then onwards the workers have been giving memorandum to the administration and labour department for opening the locks. Despite this the administration is bending facts in favour of the owners.
The morcha has stated that this unilateral decision is not acceptable to any of the workers. All the workers and the Sanyukt Mazdoor Adhikar Sangharsh Morcha want that the factory should reopen but unless the 18 dismissed workers are taken back to work, no worker would go to work. Even today, except for a few employees of the office staff, no worker went to factory for work.
In the meanwhile all the 14 arrested labour leaders have started fast-unto-death in the jail. It is noteworthy that Shweta and Susheela Devi were also on fast due to which their condition worsened. Despite this, they have started fast-unto-death in the jail itself. Yesterday despite getting bail in two cases they did not get bail in a third case filed by police and they were sent to jail along with 12 other labour leaders. All the labour leaders have been slapped with three false charges each.
The workers on the other hand have speeded up the process of meeting and propaganda at the factory gates and workers’ settlements. In order to inform the citizens and students-youths-employees about the arbitrariness of administration and about the legitimate demands of the workers, distribution of pamphlets has been started from today onwards. Expanding this campaign, huge public contact program would be initiated from tomorrow. The morcha also criticized strongly the attempt by police at the behest of factory owners to put pressure on the house owners to remove the workers from their houses.
In another development, after the nationwide discussion of the May 3 firing incident at Ankut Udyog Ltd and after getting information from various sources related to workers’ movement, a fact finding team of media workers and social activists reached Gorakhpur on May 19.
During its three day stay this team met S.P. City,Commissioner, D.L.C. , concerned police officers, various labour leaders, intellectuals, journalists, democratic right activists and the workers of Ankur Udyog Ltd. and V N Dyers and held detailed discussion about the entire episode. The investigation has been completed by the team and the concerned facts and documents have been gathered. The members of the investigation team is prima facie of the opinion that in the incident which took place in Ankut Udyog and in the workers’ movement of the area the administration’s role has been negative and anti-movement. The fact finding team would prepare and publish its detailed report in next few days.
 
Citizens Front in support of Gorakhpur Worker's Movement

 Contacts: 9936650658 (Katyayani); 9910462009 (Satyam); 8447011935  (Sandeep)


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