Nestle restores partial production at Pantnagar

More than a fortnight after its workers went on an indefinite strike, Nestle India today partially resumed production at its factory in the industrial town of Pantnagar in Uttarakhand.

“Nearly 20-25 per cent of the production has been resumed,” a company official said about the plant, which mainly produces food items like Maggi noodles.

But most of the workers continued to stay away, even as the Udham Singh Nagar district authorities continued their efforts to end the strike. The management and the striking workers, at the intervention of the office of the district labour commissioner, have held several rounds of talks so far to find an amicable solution to the strike. But the stalemate continues.

“We are still hopeful of a solution,” Assistant Labour Commissioner Vipin Kumar said. He has been at the forefront of the negotiations.

The strike was triggered by the removal of two probationers on April 27, allegedly on the basis of their performance. On May 1, Kumar called a meeting of the management and the striking employees and settled the issue.

But, the next day, the Nestle management allegedly suspended four more workers, forcing them to go on an indefinite strike again.

Since May 2, the workers have been on strike, due to which work at the factory has come to a complete halt, according to Kumar.