L&T Hazira workers union to seek PM intervention

The union representing workers at Hazira unit of Larsen & Toubro, who are on a strike for the past two months, today said it would seek intervention of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
Around 1,000 workers of the Hazira unit, which has been declared a public utility as it makes critical equipment for the defence, power and other key strategic sectors, are demanding a wage hike.
"We are planning to seek the good offices of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and also that of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi to intervene and pressurise the company management for acceptance of our just demands," L&T Hazira Union president Aniruddh Jalu said here today.

"The union has taken the matter to the courts and there have been repeated adjournments of the hearings due to delays from the union side. We would not like to comment on a matter that is sub-judice," L&T Group Vice President for Corporate Affairs Deepak Morada told PTI in Mumbai when contacted.
He added that considering the strategic nature of the work that the Hazira unit does, the Gujarat government has prohibited any disruptive labour activities and has declared the ongoing agitation as illegal.
Union's general secretary Harshad Parajiya claimed that there are nearly 1,000 workers at the plant. "Now we will adopt other agitational methods like token fast, gherao, fast-unto-death, etc, to press the demands," he added.

The union leaders alleged that L&T authorities were trying to suppress the wage hike demand since 2012. They also alleged that the company had given 30-35 per cent hike to the workers at the Pawai unit in Mumbai, but denied it to Hazira workers.
They also criticised the Gujarat government notification declaring the unit as public utility and declaring the strike illegal.