Over 130 workers including 76 women of a manufacturing company JNS Instruments Ltd were arrested for ‘rioting’ and allegedly setting a bus on fire in IMT Manesar.
The workers continued to protest on Wednesday demanding the reinstatement of suspended workers who they alleged had been targeted by the company after they decided to form a union.
However, the company has denied the allegations.
The workers have been agitating since March 3, seeking reinstatement of suspended women workers. They sat in a green belt area about 500 metres from the company’s gate and 50 metres from where the charred bus stood in the middle of the road.
Sushila, a permanent worker who has been working as a line operator for 17 years said that workers decided to form a union to demand a salary hike, regularisation of services of contractual workers, and to ensure that they come under the purview of labour laws.
“The company tried to dissuade people from joining the union. Our salaries had not been increased for years and repeated requests were being turned down. In November 2021, I took five days off work, and when I returned, I was summoned to the office at 5.27 pm and intimated that I had been promoted and transferred to Bhiwadi. I had to report there, and there was no notice. How can I just leave my family and move in a day? The next day, they did not allow me to enter the office,” said Sushila, who stays in Manesar.
A spokesperson of JNS Instruments Ltd company said, “All these allegations are baseless. We have a staff of more than 1,300 workers here with a majority of women and there is a healthy work environment. We have not opposed the workers’ decision to form a union or to stage protests, which is their right.”
“But yesterday, the protesters violated the court’s injunction orders and blocked entry to the premises, due to which production and supply were halted and we suffered a substantial loss. So, we filed a complaint and called the police. The protesters were detained.” He said.
“The company had transferred nine women, permanent workers, to Bhiwadi after promotion and gave them a salary hike for training purposes. Out of nine, five have joined while the others did not and their case is subjudice,” The spokesperson added.
The spokesperson further said that the protesters set a bus ablaze and broke the windowpane of another bus, which was sent for ferrying the company’s workers: “One of our colleagues was seated in the bus and quickly deboarded.”
Subhash Chand, SHO, IMT Manesar police station, said, “A total of 130 people were arrested and released on bail.
Two FIRs have been registered. One was registered on the complaint of an official of JNS Instruments Ltd company, and another was registered on the complaint of a bus driver, whose bus was vandalised.”
