Labour problems brewing at Torrent Pharma

Ahmedabad-based Torrent Pharmaceuticals Ltd seems to be having some trouble with the contractual workers, as the company has appealed against a recent Labour court order directing it not to terminate services of nearly a dozen contractual workers.

In a recent order, labour court had directed Torrent Pharma not to end the services of 21 contractual workers who have been working for over five years with the company. Aggrieved by the labour court's order, Torrent Pharma filed an appeal in the Gujarat High court. The matter is likely to come up for hearing on Thursday.

According to case details, nearly two years ago some 400 contractual workers from Torrent Pharma had joined Gujarat Mazdoor Sabha and demanded wages equivalent to those workers on payroll claiming that they were performing the duties as the permanent workers, hence they needed to be paid accordingly.

They also demanded wages of skilled workers as they were being treated as unskilled labourers.

On its part the company asked 21 of those workers not to attend duty, following which they approached the industrial labour court. They contended before the labour court that company had illegally terminated their contract and demanded that they be reinstated.

Torrent Pharma on its part had claimed that the workers were contracted through labour contractors and company had no role in entire episode. They claimed that the labour contractor with whom they worked had reassigned their place of work.

After nearly two years of litigation, the labour court decided in favour of the contractual workers and directed Torrent Pharma not to remove the workers from service. The labour court however, did not pass any order on the demand for wages.

According to Amrish Patel, the lawyer representing worker in labour court, there are nearly 2000 contractual workers in Torrent Pharma against over 400 permanent workers.