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Amalgamation union `issues strike notice'

R. Balaji

CHENNAI, July 10

A UNION representing the workers of the Chennai-based Amalgamations group, has issued a strike notice demanding, among other things, full work and revision of basic pay, according to official sources.

They said the union had not specified the date of the strike, but had issued a formal 14-day notice to the management and the labour department. The strike by the Simpson and Group Companies Staff Union led by Mr. R. Kuchelan of the Working Peoples' Trad e Union Council would include the manufacturing facilities coming under the group, the sources said.

According to the notice, one demand pertains to the management recognition of the union representing workers in Addison and IP Repco, said sources.

Another demand is that the management grant full work to the employees. Due to a slump in tractor sales, the management had been cutting down on production at Tractors and Farm Equipment (TAFE), and Simpson and Co Ltd, which manufactures tractor engines for TAFE, sources said.

In the last few months, according to reports, capacity utilisation has been around 50-60 per cent at these two companies. The management has either declared holidays, cut production but paid workers or the workers have had to take leave. The understandin g being that the latter would compensate for the production when situation improves.

Recently, sources said, the union had declared that it was the management's responsibility to grant full work and wage to the employees, and that they would not compensate production.

Meanwhile, the workers have demanded a revision in the basic pay. This demand had been placed before the management at the time of the last wage revision but no action has been initiated in this regard, according to sources.

The union has demanded that medical allowance to those workers not coming under the purview of the Employees' State Insurance scheme should be increased to Rs. 300 from the existing Rs. 40, according to sources.