JCT workers call off over month-long protest after talks with management
Phagwara, November 5
The 32-day-old tangle between the JCT Mill management and workers was resolved with workers ending their dharna late on Friday night.
JCT Mill owner Samir Thapar along with SDM Jai Inder Singh, SP Gurpreet Singh Gill, DSP Jaspreet Singh and Tehsildar Baljinder Singh reached the dharna site at night. Thapar announced that the demands of agitating JCT workers would be accepted. He assured the protesting workers that their arrears would be paid as soon as possible. SDM Jai Inder Singh said as per the agreement, JCT Mill will pay Rs 1.40 crore for pending salary, Rs 12 lakh as leave travelling allowance (LTA) and Rs 50 lakh as overtime of the workers before Diwali.
Earlier, a high-level meeting was summoned by Divisional Commissioner Gurpreet Kaur Sapra at Circuit House, Jalandhar, in which Deputy Commissioner Kapurthala Captain Karnail Singh, SSP Vatsala Gupta, SP Phagwara Gurpreet Singh Gill, Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Phagwara Amit Kumar, SDM Phagwara Jai Inder Singh besides JCT MD Samir Thapar participated.
The venue of the meeting was shifted to Phagwara and Additional Deputy Commissioner Amit Kumar and SDM Jai Inder Singh conveyed to the workers the decision who then announced that the stir was being called off.
When contacted, Kapurthala Deputy Commissioner Captain Karnail Singh said the administration was committed to taking care of the interests of poor labourers as well as maintaining law and order.
