KOCHI: Employees of Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT) at Kalamassery boycotted the management’s Onam celebrations and staged a sit-in protest on Monday, alleging that they had not received salaries for three months and other benefits.
The joint trade union staged the protest at the HMT’s reception area, boycotting the Onam feast and other programmes organised by the management at the company canteen. The unions alleged employees had been denied performance bonus, leave encashment and Onam-related benefits as it had not been approved by the Bengaluru corporate management.
The unions said they had informed the unit management of the boycott if the financial benefits were not released. However, the management proceeded with the celebrations without addressing their demands, they alleged.
The unions also said that MPs Hibi Eden, John Brittas, Adv Harris Beeran, P P Santhosh Kumar and P P Suneer had met Union Minister for Heavy Industries H D Kumaraswamy and discussed the crisis facing HMT. The minister had promised a revival package for the company would be implemented soon, they said.
The unions said annual bonus, performance bonus and Onam advance were traditionally paid during the Onam season. Denial of these, even as HMT completes 60 years was an anti-worker step, they alleged.
According to the unions, the Kalamassery unit, which had consistently registered profits earlier, has been incurring losses for the past three years. They attributed the decline primarily to alleged mismanagement by the Bengaluru corporate management and the unit management.
The joint union decided to approach MPs and political leaders across Kerala and strengthen the ‘Save HMT’ forum to protect both workers’ rights and the future of the company. “Saving HMT is not merely a question of workers’ rights but also concerns Kerala’s industrial future and employment opportunities for the youth,” the unions said.
