<p>In all, 100 employees of Reckitt Benckiser India Limited, a multi-national company having its branch at Hootagalli Industrial Area on the outskirts of the city, have launched an indefinite strike from June 19.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The factory, manufacturing pharmaceutical products of repute and having clients across the nation, has stopped production with the labourers going on strike — demanding better pay package, health and pension facilities, besides a share in profits.<br /><br />The strike has been launched under the banner of Reckitt Benckiser Employees Union, Mysore, with the workers staging a sit-in in turns in front of the factory.<br /><br />One of the employees told Deccan Herald, the company forayed into the city in the year 1989 and has been depriving the workforce adequate pay and facilities compared with others. While 40 executive staff members are being paid in the range of Rs 30,000 to Rs 1.5 lakh, the labours are nowhere benefited.<br /><br />As is the practice, the union has been handing over a list of demands once in every three-and-a-half years during December. <br /><br />It’s only after holding talks with the union, the management was taking a decision on the demands, with the manager of the factory at its helm. This time, the list was put forth a few months in advance in the year 2011. <br /><br />Although several rounds of talks were held, the management was not convinced on heeding to the demand of a Rs 10,000 pay hike. The management stuck to revise the gross salary by Rs 4,000, not agreeable to the union.<br /><br />Another worker, who wished not to be named, said the factory caters to some parts of Sri Lanka — the only country in the list of foreign customers. New machines have been installed to improve production to cater to a few other foreign nations, but the company is reluctant to pay the workers whose salary is in the range of Rs 15,000 to Rs 18,000.<br /><br />No consensus<br /><br />Though efforts were made to arrive at a consensus by bringing the matter to the notice of the assistant labour commissioner in Mysore and joint commissioner in Bangalore, nothing has fructified. State labour minister B N Bachche Gowda has also been apprised of the strike and the workers are hoping for a solution soon.<br /><br />The factory has its head office at Gurgaon, Haryana, besides having branches in Uttaranchal and other states. <br /><br />K S Suresh, H R Pradeep Kumar, K N Suresh and B D Lathesh are leading the protest demonstration.</p>
<p>In all, 100 employees of Reckitt Benckiser India Limited, a multi-national company having its branch at Hootagalli Industrial Area on the outskirts of the city, have launched an indefinite strike from June 19.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The factory, manufacturing pharmaceutical products of repute and having clients across the nation, has stopped production with the labourers going on strike — demanding better pay package, health and pension facilities, besides a share in profits.<br /><br />The strike has been launched under the banner of Reckitt Benckiser Employees Union, Mysore, with the workers staging a sit-in in turns in front of the factory.<br /><br />One of the employees told Deccan Herald, the company forayed into the city in the year 1989 and has been depriving the workforce adequate pay and facilities compared with others. While 40 executive staff members are being paid in the range of Rs 30,000 to Rs 1.5 lakh, the labours are nowhere benefited.<br /><br />As is the practice, the union has been handing over a list of demands once in every three-and-a-half years during December. <br /><br />It’s only after holding talks with the union, the management was taking a decision on the demands, with the manager of the factory at its helm. This time, the list was put forth a few months in advance in the year 2011. <br /><br />Although several rounds of talks were held, the management was not convinced on heeding to the demand of a Rs 10,000 pay hike. The management stuck to revise the gross salary by Rs 4,000, not agreeable to the union.<br /><br />Another worker, who wished not to be named, said the factory caters to some parts of Sri Lanka — the only country in the list of foreign customers. New machines have been installed to improve production to cater to a few other foreign nations, but the company is reluctant to pay the workers whose salary is in the range of Rs 15,000 to Rs 18,000.<br /><br />No consensus<br /><br />Though efforts were made to arrive at a consensus by bringing the matter to the notice of the assistant labour commissioner in Mysore and joint commissioner in Bangalore, nothing has fructified. State labour minister B N Bachche Gowda has also been apprised of the strike and the workers are hoping for a solution soon.<br /><br />The factory has its head office at Gurgaon, Haryana, besides having branches in Uttaranchal and other states. <br /><br />K S Suresh, H R Pradeep Kumar, K N Suresh and B D Lathesh are leading the protest demonstration.</p>
