Around 165 employees of Hindustan Photo Films Manufacturing Company Ltd (HPF) in nearby Nilgiris district today observed a sit-in dharna on its premises in protest against the announcement of the official closure of the unit.
The closure notice of HPF, a landmark in the tourist town of Udhagamandalam, was put up yesterday.
The notice read that the employees were being relieved from June 30, 2016 and will not be paid their salaries from that date, trade union sources said.
They said the employees have not drawn salaries from 2016 and also no relieving orders were served so far.
Hence the closure order was illegal and unlawful, they claimed.
HPF, which once employed nearly 4,500 workers was declared as a sick unit and Rs 181 crore VRS was announced for nearly 710 employees in 1996 after the matter was referred to Board of Industrial and Financial Reconstruction (BIFR).