Varsha Fabrics keen to restart HIW

Even as the employees belonging to Hirakud Industrial Works (HIW) Workers Union threatened to intensify their strike from 14th February 2008, Kolkata based Varsha Fabrics Private Limited (VFPL), which has taken over HIW, expressed its keenness to restart the unit.

As a measure in that direction, it has agreed to pay the four months arrear salary of the employees from August to November 2007 and two months salary in the lock out period (Dec-2007 and Jan-2008) in four installments.

It has already given this assurance in writing to the Orissa government, the company sources said.

"We are keen to restart the factory and want the workers to come back to the office. We want to pay them salary for 4 months", Shyamal Mullick, managing director, Hirakud Industrial Works Limited (HIWL) told Business Standard.

Admitting failure on part of the company to carry out the decisions taken at the meeting chaired by the industry minister, Biswabhushan Harichandan on 8th January 2008, he said, the company intended to pay the arrear salary after the meeting taken by Ashok Meena, managing director, IDCOL.

Meena had directed the company to pay 4 months arrear salary of the employees of HIW and the Idcol Rolling Mills Limited.

Following the instruction, the company representatives went to Sambalpur to make payments of arrear salary.

The union representatives did not turn up either on 4th or 5th February and on 6th February they claimed the total dues to be Rs 14 crore in a meeting with the Sambalpur district collector.