Bengaluru: Hundreds of garment factory employees have allegedly tendered their resignations at Shahi Exports Unit-6, as it was communicated by their management that the government was bringing in back the recently withdrawn rule of the Employee Provident Fund, with effect from August 1.
The employees are of the view that if they do not tender their resignations and apply for their PF withdrawals now, it will not happen until they turn 58. “While few hundreds of them have tendered their resignations collectively, after believing that the new PF rule has not been withdrawn and is only postponed temporarily, and the fact that they have a time window until August 1, three months in total and two months to apply and claim for their respective PF money,” said Sebastian Devraj, President, Karnataka Garments' Association to Deccan Chronicle.
Meanwhile, workers at Shahi Exports Unit-14, on Wednesday, stopped the police from entering their factory to arrest workers, who had allegedly taken part in rioting on April 19 and 20. The agitation affected Bommanahalli junction on the first day and Hebbagodi on the second day.
“The workers staged a demonstration within the factory premises. They stopped the police and sternly warned them that they should not further harass or make any arrests of any workers,” said a worker, who wished to remain anonymous.
Bommanahalli.MLA Sathish Reddy has been going around conducting public meetings and pacifying the garment factory workers by reassuring them that the controversial PF rule has been permanently withdrawn, but many workers are not convinced, said an activist fighting for the workers’ rights.
“There have been totally around 286 arrests made so far. Many of them we know were not involved in the rioting, but are still kept in jail. Even as the Home Ministry has verbally told that no action would be taken against the workers, it has not happened. We will be forced to resort to agitation again if innocent workers are not released from jail,” Devraj said.
