The workers of SAMAJ Automotive Co. held a demonstration in Uttarakhand town of Rudrapur on 21 July against illegal retrenchment by the company management. The protest was called by SIDCUL Shramik Samyukt Morcha, an umbrella organisation of various unions in that industrial area. They will hold a bigger protest on 28 July when their protest completes 100 days.

SIDCUL Shramik Samyukt Morcha’s president Dinesh Tiwari said that the retrenched workers are demanding their reinstatement but the state BJP government, district administration, Labour Department and elected people’s representatives all are protecting illegal management of this company. The government and the labour department are not implementing the law on various pretexts which is a starkly anti-worker and illegal act. The BJP government is openly favouring capitalists.

The All India Central Council of Trade Unions leader in Uttarakhand KK Bora said that earlier owner of this company sold it out. As per the labour laws of the land all permanent workers must be retained on their posts, but the new owner retrenched forty one of them. Without taking mandatory NOCs from the government, the owner had started production with the help of new untrained workers, which again is against the rules and dangerous to the extent that in a few months almost a dozen new untrained workers have been injured while working on heavy machinery. The administration and labour department remains a mute spectator failing to take  any action against the company management.

The protesting workers condemned the labour commissioner's stance, who did not take action in spite of company's own submission of violations during tripartite talks. The district labour commissioner acted in favour of the management by ignoring the tripartite agreement made in his presence and abruptly sent the whole matter to the labour court.  The workers are determined to continue their struggle with their demand of reinstatement and for compensation to the injured workers.