UP refuses to prohibit LML lock-out

The UP government has refused to stop the lock-out declared by LML management on March 7. This decision was taken by the chief minister's office, which told the labour department not to proceed further in this matter.

Uttar Pradesh All India Trade Union Congress General Secretary Arvind Raj Swarup said while labour department officials were keen that the LML lock-out be prohibited, the chief minister's office gave directions to stop the matter. Labour Minister Waqar Ahmed Shahand was also in favour of lifting the lock-out.

The labour department was keen to pressure the management to open the mills.

As early as May 12 Anil Kumar Gupta, principal secretary, labour, in a letter to the LML management said, "I have been informed by the Labour Commissioner, UP, that the workers of LML are prepared to come back to work. Therefore under these circumstances the employees should be taken back on work; otherwise the UP administration will be take steps to prohibit the lock-out."

The administration was further put off by the reference to the Board of Industrial and Financial Reconstruction, since they had not been taken into confidence about this.

Thus, the workers through their repeated agitation, in Kanpur and Lucknow, were able to put sufficient pressure on the labour department and the labour minister.

Trade union leaders, backing the LML agitation, told Business Standard that they would jointly hold further demonstrations to put pressure on the government.

LML Executive Director RK Srivastava told Business Standard he did not think that the government would or should prohibit it.

Trade union leaders too say that nothing much will be gained immediately from the prohibition of the lock-out, but the workers will be in a stronger position to realise their dues of the lock-out period.

Srivastava reacted adversely to an earlier Business Standard report that the union, led by JP Pandey, was the representative union. He said the company's workers had a registered union, with which the management had been dealing for 20 years. Pandey did not have any union.

However, Pandey said his body might not be registered but it was the authorised representative of the workmen and had been recognised by the Labour Commissioner and the Allahabad High Court, where his union is called for court cases filed by the management.