Bipartite agreement signed for reopening of Dunlop factory

Kolkata, Apr 9 (UNI) Ending years of uncertainty about the future of the erstwhile tyre major, the new management of Dunlop India Limited today signed a bipartite agreement with the labour unions to pave the way for reopeing its Sahaganj factory here by August this year.

The much-awaited bipartite agreement was signed by four senior representatives of the Ruia Group, which had acquired the management of the closed Dunlop unit early last year from the Dubai based Jumbo Group, on one side and those from the INTUC and the CITU on the other at a function here today.

While Dunlop India Limited Executive Director Ashok Jajodia headed the four member management representatives who signed the agreements, INTUC General Secretary Ranjit Neogi and his counterpart in the CITU union Dipankar Roy Chowdhury and their six other team members signed on their behalf ending years of uncertainty about the possibility of reopening the famous Sahajang Factory, closed since March 2001.

Speaking to reporters after the agreement was signed, Chairman of the Ruia Group Pawan Ruia said, of about 2600 former employees of Dunlop Sahagang unit, as many as 1200 would be re-employed in the new plant, while the remainnig 1400, mostly the unskilled labourers, would be offered ''somewhat attractive'' VRS packages, to be paid in three installments.

Claiminig that today's agreement had created a new ray of hope among the former employees of Dunlop, one of the largest and most famous tyre manufacturers of the subcontinent till early 1970s, Mr Ruia said following detailed discussions with the representatives of the labour unions, he had planned to start the revamping process of the Sahaganj Factory within the next two weeks before starting production latest by August-September.

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