Strike contiues at RIL's Naroda unit, police detains three workers

Agitating workers at the textile division of Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) at Naroda in Ahmedabad on Friday continued their strike for the third day demanding higher wages. The company, however, remained silent on the strike, which was called by a group of employees under the name of 'Reliance Employees' Union' from second shift on Wednesday.

As many as three workers were detained by police allegedly for wrongful confinement, shouting obscene slogans in public place and criminal intimidation.

"We have detained three workers from the Reliance Industries' unit on a complaint filed by a person named Kurda Ram Birbalsinh Jat, who is a security officer at RIL's Naroda unit. The workers were detained under the sections 342, 294(b), 506-1, 114 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), 1860," informed a police official at the Naroda police station.

Those detained include president and vice-president of the Reliance Employees' Union, which is an informal workers' body at the plant. However, the workers claimed to have continued the strike despite the detention of their leaders. "The strike will continue till our demands are met," said Jignesh Sheth, one of the striking workers at the unit. When contacted the company officials on Friday avoided commenting on the issue. The company had issued a statement on Thursday stating that it was "in a dialogue with the union leaders" and that "the operations are continuing peacefully at the plant."

Meanwhile, workers claimed that the company had asked them to come for a discussion in a group of 5-7 people. "But we will not go. We want transparent dialogue. Therefore, we want the management to do all the negotiations in public and not in a closed-door meeting. This would leave no chance for a Maruti-like situation to arise," said Sagar Patil, worker at the plant and the general secretary of the union.

The union claimed that they had submitted a 14-point agenda to the company on Thursday stating their demands including wage revision, increase in bonus, removal of fixed salary system and uniform rights for wage-board and contractual employees. The plant runs in three shifts with an employee strength of about 6,000 including permanent and contractual employees.