No decision yet on reopening EICL Kochu Veli unit in Kerala
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English Indian Clays Ltd workers’ unions say shutdown has pushed a whole bunch of workers and their households into dire straits
The resumption of operations on the Kochu Veli unit of English Indian Clays Ltd (EICL) continues to be mired in uncertainty, a full 10 months after the corporate administration suspended operations citing losses. The grim state of affairs, which persists amid the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, has pushed a whole bunch of EICL workers and their households into dire straits, say EICL workers’ unions.
While the unions blame the corporate administration of apathy, the latter attributes the delay in restarting operations to the pandemic’s second wave and the resultant sluggish market. The EICL workers unions have now sought the pressing intervention of the State authorities for getting the unit reopened.
The administration is yet to honour the revised service and wage circumstances that had been agreed upon in the presence of the Labour Commissioner, the joint motion council of EICL workers’ unions stated in a petition to Labour Minister V. Sivankutty on Wednesday. Company officers are additionally urgent the staff to place in their resignation, it stated.
Shift to Gujarat
Further, the council has accused the EICL administration of making an attempt to shift the corporate’s operations to Bhuj, Gujarat. ”The firm is yet to pay the promised interim reduction of ₹25,000 in full to the staff,” stated Anil Kumar, convener of the motion council.
The CITU has petitioned Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Industries Minister P. Rajeeve and Mr. Sivankutty searching for their intervention to type out the deadlock, stated K. Udayakumar, District Clay Workers’ Union (CITU).
EICL, which is a part of the Thapar Group, mines kaolin (China clay) deposits in the district and processes the clay at two amenities — the principle plant at Kochu Veli and a second one at Thonnakkal.
Blaming mounting losses and absence of uncooked materials, the EICL administration had ”briefly” suspended operations on the Veli and Thonnakkal items on August 10, 2020, a decision that affected the livelihood of 1,500 households.
The apparently abrupt decision had triggered a wave of protests, and the unions had launched an indefinite agitation outdoors the corporate gates. In October, operations had been partially resumed on the Thonnakkal unit after the federal government issued a permission for mining, however the principle unit at Veli remained shut.
No everlasting decision
A senior EICL official concerned in the Thiruvananthapuram operations of the corporate stated no decision has been taken to completely wind up the Kochu Veli unit.
”We had been anticipating to make a comeback by June this 12 months, however the second wave upset all our calculations. It has hit our main shoppers, which embrace the paint and paper industries. Even the Thonnakkal unit, the place operations had been restarted, is operating at 60-70% of the capability at current. But we’re hopeful of resuming operations,” the official stated.
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