Workers brave rain in protest fast

Chennai: Despite the continuous downpour, around 24 of 345 workers who were sacked for forming a trade union in Diamond Engineering company have been on an indefinite hunger strike for the past four days at Mambakkam near Vandalur.

On Sunday, two workers collapsed and the protesters blocked the road at Kelambakkam and Vandalur highway to grab the attention of the management. According to C.Eraniappan district secretary of All India Central Council of Trade Unions, the trade union the workers formed was affiliated to AICCTU.

“There was no increment in wages and no proper working conditions and so they formed a union for these demands. But the main demand was that the management deducted an amount for Provident Fund from the salary of the employees but they did not remit it to the PF office,” he said.

He further said that the management may feel threatened by the formation of the trade union. He added that the management sacked without prior notice 345 workers who were part of this trade union. Of them, 24 workers conducted the hunger protest. “Today two workers collapsed and so all the 345 workers blocked the Kelambakkam - Vandalur highway,” he said.

Another member of the AICCTU, Pugaz Vendan said, “Even after day four of the protest the officials did not come and talk to us or come to negotiate.” He added that they had to call 108 ambulance and when they spoke to the police they did not respond to them.

“Since the highway is a busy road we did not want to disturb the commuters. It was just to grab the attention of the management and the government that we blocked the road,” he said. When an HR official of the company was contacted, she refused to comment on the protest. Diamond Engineering private Ltd is a manufacturing company located in Kelambakkam.

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