Voltas Hyderabad unit holds back retrenchment plan

The management of the city-based Voltas refrigeration and cooling unit has put on hold its proposal to retrench about 450 workers following pressure from the employees' association.

"We have succeeded in persuading the company management to keep in abeyance its move to retrench workers. We will continue to fight till the employees get a fair deal in terms of compensation," Congress MLA from the city and president of Voltas Employees' Association, P Janardhana Reddy said.

Reddy has been holding negotiations with the management on behalf of the employees of the loss making refrigeration unit.

Tension prevailed in the factory premises on Friday last when a group of enraged workers entered into a heated argument with top officials of the unit. "The employees are concerned about their future and their worries are justified," Reddy said.

The Voltas management has already communicated to Andhra Pradesh Labour Commission its intention to retrench 450 out of 836 workers on the "last come first go" basis.

However, the labour department has not given its consent to the retrenchment proposal, the Congress legislator, who represents Khairatabad constituency in the city, said.

The employees have been demanding that the retrenchment notice be withdrawn immediately.

"We are negotiating with the management for a fair VRS deal to the employees," Reddy added.