India: Major Indian Trade Union Leader under Attack - Sign Petition

Please sign petition: http://www.petitiononline.com/Pricol/petition.html

More details of the case: http://www.cpiml.org/pgs/ml_upd/vol12/12_40.html

Petition:

To

The Hon’ble Chief Minister
Government of Tamil Nadu
Secretariat, Chennai - 9

Sir,

We are writing to express our grave concern about the fabricated case brought against workers of Pricol Ltd, Coimbatore and Mr.S.Kumarasami, National President of AICCTU, and to request your urgent intervention in this matter.

The tragic death of Mr. Roy George, Vice-president of Pricol Ltd., Coimbatore on 22 September 2009 occurred, as you are aware, against a background of deeply disturbing actions of management of Pricol Ltd Coimbatore. Not only has the company continually and openly flouted labour laws, Supreme Court directions, Chennai High Court directions, orders of the Government of Tamil Nadu, issued on 29th June 2009 that the demands of the workers are met, and the directions of the Labour Department of Government of Tamil Nadu, but it has continued to victimise and harass the workers. It has also pressurised and blackmailed them to try to force them to leave their union, the AICCTU. The workers however have refused to leave their union and have continued to struggle through a variety of peaceful and democratic means.

The management has announced unilaterally 8.33% bonus for the workers who are with AICCTU and 20% for other workers for the year 2008 – 2009. We urge you to intervene immediately to stop victimisation of workers.

It is shocking that Mr.S.Kumarasami, the National President of a centrally recognized central Trade Union Organization, AICCTU and a practicing lawyer in the Tamil Nadu High Court has been falsely implicated and named in an FIR, particularly when he was not even present when the incident took place and prior to this had been continually urging the workers to resist all forms of provocation which the management was engaging in.

The management does not want Mr.S.Kumarasami to defend the Pricol workers in the High Court as well as the Supreme Court on the 29th of September and other subsequent dates. This is the main reason for implicating Mr.S.Kumarasami, the National President of a centrally recognized trade union.

The management has not been present at the peace meet called by the Labour Department of Coimbatore, on the advice of the Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister, on 07 July 2009, which once again proves the adamant attitude of the Pricol management.

We urge you to ensure that the fabricated case against Mr.S.Kumarasami is immediately dropped.

Sincerely,