Staff protesting at Anand Ahuja’s firm Shahi Export in Faridabad.
Tons of of workers staged a protest at a garment manufacturing firm owned by Anand Ahuja, businessman and husband of Bollywood actor Sonam Kapoor, in Haryana’s Faridabad on Saturday. Staff stopped work and gathered exterior the manufacturing facility, demanding that the corporate restore the 20% annual bonus, which they declare has been lowered to eight%.
Because the protest intensified, the corporate referred to as within the police. Regardless of efforts by officers to influence the employees to return to work, workers refused, saying they’d resume duties solely after their bonus demand is met.
The corporate, Shahi Exports, situated in Sector 28, manufactures and exports girls’s clothes and employs round 6,000 employees, together with numerous girls.
Protest continues for second day
The demonstration started on Friday and continued into its second day, with round 200 female and male workers gathering in a park exterior the manufacturing facility. A number of girls employees additionally staged a sit-in close to the corporate’s essential gate.
The protesters allege that the corporate has been steadily decreasing worker advantages whereas prioritising its personal monetary good points.
Staff allege bonus cuts since COVID-19
Santosh, a stitching machine operator who has labored on the manufacturing facility for a number of years, stated the corporate started decreasing worker bonuses after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Earlier, we obtained a 20% bonus, but it surely has now been lowered to eight%. At a time when inflation is rising, our bonus is repeatedly being minimize,” she stated.
One other worker, Suman, claimed that the discount has resulted in an annual lack of almost ₹30,000 for her.
“The corporate has minimize the bonus by 12 share factors. Even final 12 months’s bonus was lowered. Once we got here to protest at this time, firm representatives threatened to name our members of the family and file instances in opposition to us,” she alleged.
Firm worker Suman says – they’re being threatened with a lawsuit for protesting.
Staff accuse firm of double requirements
The protesting employees alleged that whereas the bonuses of lower-level workers have been lowered, the salaries and advantages of senior firm officers have continued to extend.
In accordance with the workers, the administration had proposed decreasing bonuses quickly after the COVID-19 interval, a transfer that employees had rejected on the time following protests. They declare the corporate has now applied the cuts once more regardless of their opposition.
Upon receiving details about the incident, the police reached the spot.
Police say scenario is beneath management
Police reached the manufacturing facility after receiving details about the protest and tried to mediate between the employees and the administration.
Police spokesperson Yashpal stated the workers had stopped work over their calls for and confirmed that officers had been current on the web site.
“The workers have stopped working over their calls for. Police reached the spot after receiving data. The scenario is at present beneath management,” he stated.
