Due to the closure f a public-sector mill in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala three years ago during the Covid-19 lockdown, the employees of the mill face dire financial consequences.
During the lockdown, Vijayamohini Mills, under the National Textile Corporation Limited (NTC), a public enterprise under Union Ministry of Textiles had shut its doors though it was expected to open back up once the lockdown was lifted.
However, three years later the mill is still closed and the employee unions conducted a protest march to AG’s office in Thiruvananthapuram demanding that Union Textile Ministry address the situation of the workers.
At the time of closure, there were 600 staff including 250 permanent employees at the mill. After the closure, the employees continued to get 35 per cent of their salaries which also stopped in the last 6-7 months, said Antony MT, secretary, Trivandrum Textile Workers’ Union (CITU).
Most employees are working as daily wage labourers to eke out a living. “As we are still employees of the mill, it is not possible to get a job in other firms. So many are surviving with daily jobs such as painting,” he said.
Allegations of retiring people not getting gratuity benefits and worries over lapse of employee insurance were put forward by the employees.
Despite several other mills under the NTC functioning on a loss, with Vijayamohini Mill being the exception, the NTC directed 75 per cent utilisation of machinery in 2018 and 50 per cent by 2019 forcing several temporary workers to leave. “However, they used the pandemic as an opportunity to close down the mill,” said Antony.
The closure will also result in damage of machinery worth Rs 24 crore. As part of modernisation, several new machines were purchased over a period from 2008 to 2019. Union members said that they have filed several petitions to the Union Government, but did not receive any favourable response. They said that a joint forum of all NTC workers in various states had been protesting for the past several months.
