Burn Standard shuts Howrah plant after workers assaulted

Kolkata, Feb 19 (IANS) State-owned wagon maker Burn Standard Company (BSC) has filed an FIR against five assailants and suspended work in its factory in Howrah in West Bengal Thursday after two of its senior officials were assualted.

"We have sent a letter to the government and lodged an FIR (first information report Wednesday night following the assault on Santanu Sarkar and Debashish Bhattacharya, both senior officials of BSC.

"Also, a suspension notice has been put up in the Howrah plant," DGM of personnel relations G.H. Nag said.

Nag said the other unit of the company in Burnpur in West Bengal was functioning normally.

"Another group of workers lawfully affiliated with a trade union in the company want work to resume in Howrah," he said.

The alleged altercation took place Wednesday as the BSC officials went to make peace with around 175 agitating casual workers affiliated with the state's ruling party Trinamool Congress (TMC) demanding regularisation and other amenities since Feb 11.

"The protestors are not affiliated to any party banner and don't have a trade union registration. However, some of the workers from that group have been putting up TMC affiliated INTTUC banners. The hunger strike of these workers also is illegal as no prior notice was served," he said.

Nag said the suspension of work will affect nearly 840 personnel in the company. It has 240 officials and workers under direct payroll and another 600 under contractors. The company presently has two contractors for wagon projects and another four for other works.

Asked over the timeframe of the work suspension notice, Nag said "it is hard to tell how long it will drag on but it will affect the 600 causal staff as it'll imply loss of paya the regular permanent workers won't be affected much".

Company employees have expressed concerns over the suspected manhanding of officials.

"We are all afraid and can't make out what to do under these circumstances, we cannot carry on work," said Sushanta Bhattachaya, company's DGM at the headquarter.

The TMC on the other hand has rubbished the claims from the public sector firm.

"When we went to talk to the (company) GM, he immediately called in his personal security staff and asked us to leave stating he doesn't want to talk to us. As we were leaving (the meeting room), the GM also left with us and straightaway left (from the venue)," TMC leader Gautam Chowdhury said.