The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : PJR to run campaign on workers' plight

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 13, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

PJR to run campaign on workers' plight

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, DEC. 12. The Kharaitabad MLA, P. Janardhan Reddy, will organise a `Chalo Assembly' on December 16 to highlight the plight of workers due to closure of industries in the State.

Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, Mr. Reddy said INTUC-backed unions would take out a rally from the Rajiv Gandhi statue to the Assembly. A memorandum would be submitted to the Chief Minister, Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, and the Speaker, K R. Suresh Reddy.

He said that the Allwyn factory units in Hyderabad, Patancheru and Nandalur (Cuddapah), which were sold to Voltas, were being systematically wound up. The management had started disposing of the vast properties of the factory and the refrigeration unit in Nandalur had been handed over to Electrolux much against the wishes of workers.

Manpower in many companies like Bakelite Hylam, HMT, the Meter Factory and Allwyn watch division had been retrenched. When the Voltas management tried to retrench workers, the INTUC-led union intervened and thwarted the bid.

He opposed the move to close down the Government Text Book Press and Andhra Pradesh Housing Board and blamed the TDP Government for the sorry plight of workers. Factories, which employed 5,000 workers today, were being run with just 500 labourers on contract basis.

He asked the Government to prevail upon the private managements to regularise the services of all contract labourers, reopen the factories, which had been closed down and put a stop to the attempts by some companies to sell away their properties on grounds of losses.

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