Liberty Shoes production hit by workers' strike

The Liberty Shoe factory in Karnal remained closed for the fourth consecutive day with nearly 3,500 of Liberty Shoes' 4,000 employees on a strike after about 50 of them were injured in a police lathi charge near the company's Karnal plant in Haryana. 42 of them were later picked up by the Haryana Police.

The employees were protesting against low wages and the delay of bonus which has not been paid for the last one and a half years. "We are demanding a hike in our salary from the management. It has to be raised to ensure a decent living ," said Dilawar Singh, union member, Liberty Workers Union while adding that the current minimum salary for a worker was Rs 2,300 which was revised over a period of 10 years.

The Communist Party of India-Marxist and Communist Party of India have lent their support to the striking employees.

Speaking to Business Standard, Shammi Bansal, executive director, Liberty Shoes Limited said the company had sorted out this issue through an agreement with the employees on October 5, 2005.

"We have not deducted a cut off 10 per cent from their bonus as has been mentioned and have been paying a bonus which we will ensure this year too," said Bansal.

He further on added that the management was open to the idea to sit across the table with union members and amicably resolve the matter.

Liberty Shoes Limited's three units based at Kutail, Gharonda and Karnal currently employ 4,000 workers. One unit at the Karnal plant has been operational with 125 employees turning up today out of its total strength of 300.

Communist Party of India-Marxist, All India Trade Union Congress, Communist Party of India, Sarv Karamchari Sangh Haryana, CITU, Kisan Sabha, Khet Mazdoor Union, SFI and some other labour unions along with factory workers today organised a protest rally in Karnal city.

Gurdas Gupta, Member of Parliament, Communist Party of India and Comrade Inderjit Singh of the Communist Party of India-Marxist in a joint release have demanded that Section 307 (non-bailable) under which the workers have been booked should be cancelled as there was no justification for it.