Retired sugar mill staff continue protest over dues in Fazilka

Fazilka, November 29

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After the indefinite strike by the employees of all 9 cooperative sugar mills of the state, now retired employees of the Fazilka Central Cooperative Sugar Mill are also demanding the payment of their dues. They staged a protest outside the sugar mill today and raised slogans against the government.

Sunil Kumar, spokesperson, Sugar Mill Retired Employees Union, said the retired employees had not been paid their dues for the last about four years since January 2020.

He said there were 138 retired employees of Fazilka mill who had not been paid the dues, of which 20 who got superannuation in the last about 4 months had not been paid even a single penny by the mill authorities. Kumar further said the remaining 118 employees had been paid only 52 per cent of their dues.

Sukhdeep Singh Kairon, General Manager of the mill, said the mill owed Rs 8 crore to the retired employees and this would be paid as soon as the government released the funds.

On the other hand, the indefinite strike initiated by the employees of all 9 cooperative mills of the state entered the sixth day today.

About 2,500-odd employees of these mills had been demanding the implementation of the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission, regularisation of temporary employees and permanent job for the kin of employees who died during service.

The government had announced to open the sugarcane crushing season from November 30. However, Kairon said they had decided to open the crushing season from December 10, but that too depended on the strike of the employees. Hardeep Singh Muggowal, president, Punjab Raj Sehkari Khand Mill Workers’ Federation, said they would not allow the working of mills without acceptance of their demands.