Lockout at Ace Glass Containers' Nashik unit

Failure of talks between management and workers the key reason

In just under six months of the last settlement with the workers, the management of Ace Glass Containers has forced a lockout at its unit at Sinnar, near here.

After failure of talks between the union and the management at the deputy labour commissioner's (DLC) office, the company decided to submit a memorandum of demands to the DLC on Monday.

Workers alleged that the company was using pressure tactics and the DLC too was not making any efforts for settlement.

In 1996, Larsen & Toubro had begun manufacturing flint glass containers in Malegaon (Sinnar) MIDC area, 25 kms from Nashik and had sold the unit to Ace Glass Containers of the C K Somani Group for an undisclosed amount in October 2005.

The plant has a manufacturing capacity of 320 million tonne a day and serves the liquor, soft drinks and food industries. It employs 705 workers "" 305 permanent and 400 workers on contract basis. Initially, workers were on a 15-day strike against the decision of L&T to sell the unit without taking the union into confidence.

Finally, the company had started operations on November 8, following a settlement between the management and workers.

But within six months, disputes between the management of the company and workers' union surfaced again, resulting in a lockout.

According to the management, the conduct of workers was not proper; also, the workers not cooperating with them, which resulted in poor productivity and huge losses to the company.

Hence, the Nashik unit was forced to be locked out from May 31.