HM not to withdraw suspension notice on workers, open to talks

Kolkata, Apr 15 (UNI) Immediate breakthrough to the ongoing impasse at Hindustan Motors Ltd'(HM), Uttarpara factory, seemed bleak as the management was not ready to accept the union's demand to withdraw suspension notice already served on 40 workers.

Speaking to UNI today, a senior HM official said, ''Suspension orders are disciplinary action taken on the workers due to largescale assault on managers and severe damage to company properties. Therefore, withdrawal of the suspension orders is not matter of discussion now''.

The company served a suspension of work notice in the factory on April 10 rendering about 4,000 workers' future in uncertainty.

Reiterating his displeasure about the current deadlock, he said entry of raw materials in the factory had been blocked and the company was incurring huge losses due to the strike called by Sangrami Sramik Karmachari Union (SSKU).

During the strike period, production of Ambassador cars dropped to 450 from 1200 per month.

''We are ready to sit with the unions but the situation needs to get normalised first. We have said the same thing earlier also'', he said.

The HM management had declared suspension of work on April 10 as workers belonging to SSKU went on strike from March 13 and blocked movement of materials.

In a bipartite meeting with the state government on Friday last, convened by Labour Minister Mrinal Banerjee, the trade union representatives promised not to obstruct movement of goods from the Uttarpara factory provided the management revoked suspension order on at least ten of the 40 workers.

UNI