Workers’ agitation demanding permanent jobs and wage hike stalls Mitsubishi

08-Dec-09

A workers’ agitation demanding permanent jobs and wage hikes has stalled activity at Mitsubishi’s purified terephthalic acid (PTA) plant at Haldia. The Trinamul wants permanent jobs for 150 casual workers and a raise for the rest. Mitsubishi has 513 permanent employees and around 600 casual staff. The union laid siege to the factory gates and started demonstrating, work came to a near standstill. The blockade was lifted following the management’s written assurance to the Trinamul union in the later part of the evening to survey its demands. Work resumed from the night shift. This is the first time that the plant has had any kind of labour unrest since it started operations earlier this decade. Mitsubishi Corporation of Japan has invested US$800 mln in the plant, whose capacity was tripled in October.