The permission sought by the managements of big industrial houses for closure of units from the State Labour Department for suspension of production and retrenching of workers in the district has started ringing alarming bells for the government.

Call it an impact of the prevailing economic recession or the policies of the managements of these units, if the request of these business houses is accepted, over 500 workers will be rendered jobless in Parwanoo and Jubbar area of Kasauli constituency.

Earlier, Su Kam Power System, one of the biggest manufacturers of power inverters, had closed production in Baddi last month, stating that this was on account of global meltdown. Su Kam management had pasted the notices on its premises asking the workers to only mark their presence, as the company had suspended production in the last week of October.

After this, the workers had gone on an indefinite strike. Finally, the management began production again. During the period, over 10 workers left the job. The decision of the unit, which manufactures approximately 1,500 power inverters daily, had lead to uncertainty among industrial workers. The situation normalised after the management received fresh orders for its product.

Sources in the Labour Department reveal that the management of Purewal Associates at Jubbar near Kasauli had also pasted notices last month, informing workers about its decision to close the unit. The management had sought permission from the Labour Department in this regard, but the request was rejected.

The Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh Industries Association had also urged the government to allow the Purewal management to close the unit, since its losses reportedly run into crores of rupees. At present, over 350 workers have been engaged by Purewal Associates. All are Himachal domiciles.

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