Unions to meet on May 14 for action on LML

If the ultimatum to the govt fails, unions may launch an agitation again

Seventeen unions have given an ultimatum to the UP government to take action on granting trade union rights to LML workers and take steps to reopen the closed mills in the next two weeks. If the ultimatum failed, they will be compelled to launch a united agitation, they said.

They have called a general trade union convention on May 14 to organise workers for joint action.

After the lockout at LML Ltd and with the labour department not declaring it "illegal", disparate trade unions have come together.

This is the fourth very large unit that has ceased production. The others are JK Cotton, JK Jute, and Duncan Industries.

LML Vice-President R K Srivastava told Business Standard: "I do not understand why LML is being discussed by the Press and not other closed mills. And the unions that are not able to get those factories opened are egging on workers of LML to organise. This will create difficulties in rightsizing the company, which is being sought to be done by the LML management."

When the LML workers organisation earlier called union leaders to come together in a meeting to chalk out a path for the reopening of the company, the response was overwhelming. Seventeen major unions turned up. These included those of HAL, the Indian Railways, AICCTU, Duncan Industries, and JK Cotton.

Arvind Kumar of CITU said at the May Day rally, in the next two weeks the LML workers union, whose application is pending with the government, should be registered; the lockout should be declared illegal; and steps should be taken to compel managements to reopen closed mills of JK Cotton, JK Jute, etc.

Speakers expressed happiness at the coming together of many unions after 15 years of "defeat, withdrawal and a series of unsuccessful struggles".

The city has seen the closure of many factories and "the pauperisation of large segments of the working class". Some of them advocated the coming together of the left unions; others were critical of the trend of looking to parliamentary institutions, which they felt had damaged the solidarity of the working classes.

All shades of the Left were represented in the meeting, which was attended by about 3,000 workers.

Speakers were from Ordnance factories, LIC, HAL, AICCTU, CPI (M), CITU, AITUC, JK Cotton, LML, Duncan Industries, etc.

INTUC members too agreed to participate in the "jail bharo" movement for the reopening of the closed mills.

LML union office bearers have been invited by the registrar of unions for discussing the issue of union registration.