[Reader-list] Kanoria Jute Mill: Saga of a Treachery

[A. Mani]

Kanoria Jute Mill: Saga of a Treachery

Source: People's Democracy'
05th Nov'2011

>From Our Special Correspondent in Kolkata



THE workers of Kanoria Jute Mill in Uluberia, Howrah, have already
learnt what the much-trumpeted ‘change’ means in West Bengal.



The mill opened after two years of closure on August 22. Shiv Shankar
Pasari, the promoter personally accompanied state labour minister
Purnendu Basu in a hyped ‘opening’ of the mill. Purnendu Basu assured
Kanoria workers on August 22 that within one year all problems would
be resolved through discussion and not movement. Since then, 2700
workers of Kanoria Jute Mill were denied their jobs as they were not
allowed to enter the mill itself. Only 318 workers, according to the
mill attendance register, are working for the maintenance of machines
in the mill. Rest of the 3041 workers are stunned at the unique way of
treachery.



This is causing a further problem. The Left Front government initiated
a monthly allowance for the workers of closed factories. The workers
of Kanoria Jute Mill were also getting that allowance. As the mill is
opened officially, the payment of this allowance may be closed,
denying them the meager source of livelihood. Meanwhile, no dues
including provident fund have been paid. To make things worse, the
promoter of the mill has demolished the bathroom in the labour line.
This, according to the workers, is an ominous sign.



Even those who have been chosen to enter have been recruited by local
Trinamul leaders. They terrorised the mill area. Sponsored by the
promoter Shiv Shankar Pasari, these TMC leaders have appointed some
unskilled labourers from Sijberia, Howrah, in exchange of their
unconditional loyalty to the Trinamul Congress. One of the leading
trade union leaders of the mill, Prafulla Chakraborty, once a very
close associate of the TMC, has now been ousted and arrested. The
‘misdeed’ he perpetrated was that he sharply criticised the ‘labour
policy’ of the TMC government. He also slammed the government and TMC
leaders for creating autocracy and hooligan-raj in the mill. The
government however rewarded their electoral associate and the leader
of Sangrami Shramik Union Prafulla Chakraborty, stunning even
TMC-spiked intellectuals by putting him behind the bars under fake
allegation.



The CITU while condemning the situation at Kanoria Jute Mill demanded
immediate release of Prafulla Chakraborty. In a statement, the CITU
Howrah district president Nemai Samanta said the workers are being
deprived of their legal rights by sheer force. The government is also
arresting Left workers under false cases, thus trying to curb the
workers’ movement and mass movement in the state.

 ___________________________________________________________________


Best

A. Mani




-- 
A. Mani
CU, ASL, CLC,  AMS, CMS
http://www.logicamani.co.cc