Assam: Hindustan Unilever strike ends

Guwahati, Sep 2: The 45-day strike at Hindustan Unilever factory in Doomdooma of Upper Assam ended today as the management and the workers struck a deal early this morning.

Assam Industrial Development Corporation(AIDC) Chairman Hiranya Bora informed over phone from Doomdoma that the marathon talks lasted for more than 12 hours.

Mr Bora had brokered the talks between the managaent and union leaders on behalf of the Assam government. However, he refused to elaborate on the deal.

''From tomorrow the factory will start functioning again.

However, it will take a few days to get back to the pre-closure strength,'' the chairman said.

The factory is the single biggest investment in private sector in Assam.

The strike had resulted in an embarrassing situation for the state government as the factory had to be shut down on trivial issues as the petty politics of the local area took centre stage.

The 45-day strike had cast a shadow over the state's ability to draw big private investments. Consequently, the government swung into action to retrieve the situation but it cost one life and 45 days to arrive at a solution.

Ratul Bora, one of the seven employees who were suspended for agitating against the alleged anti-worker policies of the company, committed suicide about a fortnight back.

Mr Bora was the assistant general secretary of the Hindustan Lever (Personal Product Factory) Workers' Union.

Hindustan Unilever Ltd had declared a lockout in the factory on July 15 this year after workers refused to call off a prolonged strike over allowances.

A statement issued by the company alleged that the workers had confine a few of its managerial staff in their office for 16 hours on July six. Besides this incident, a series of protests over the next few days forced the management to declare the lockout, the statement added.

Recently, the workers' union also split into two. The breakaway faction formed the Hindustan Unilever Limited PPF Sramik Sangha with support from the Congress, which today inked the deal paving the way for reopening of the factory.

The factory produces all the top of the line cosmetic brands of the Lever and maintains the supply chain of entire Eastern India as well as their main stocking place at Nagpur.

UNI