MLA announces agitation over spinning mill issue

KARAIKAL: Karaikal South MLA AMH Nazeem has announced that the DMK, with the support of its allies, will stage an agitation in front of Karaikal Collectorate on June 9 condemning the non-payment of salary to the staff and workers of Jaya Prakash Narayan Cooperative Spinning Mills Limited, Karaikal, for the past four months.Speaking to reporters, Nazeem said the agitation had been organised to draw the attention of the government on the problems of the workers and steps for salary disbursement and also for its revival.“The mill was established at Karaikal in 1990 with the aim of providing employment opportunity to the rural poor. The organisation was functioning well during the formative years and was producing premium quality cotton yarn, but it slowly became a sick industry over the years. For the past 15 years, it has remained a loss-making unit. The government and political parties tried to revive its glory on many occasions, but in vain,” said Nazeem.More than 420 workers are employed in the mill and the Puducherry government had been giving away interim grants to the loss-making body and kept it alive during these years. The workers were denied career advancement opportunities and increments during the past seven years. Frustrated workers were organising agitations and strikes every now and then, he added.Arockiadoss, president of INTUC wing of the JPCOSPIN workers association, said that apart from four months salary due, the workers had lost several other benefits like Diwali gift and uniforms. More than 70 workers, who are working with the organisation for the past nine years have not been regularised.