Friday, November 18, 2011

Bengal Industries getting sick for extortion by ruling Trinamool Party

Extortion Strangles Haldia Trade

Bengal’s biggest industrial hub is gasping for breath. Toughs owing allegiance to the ruling party are bleeding companies dry. What makes it worse is that there are many factions fighting for the spoils

Krishnendu Bandyopadhyay & Udit Prasanna Mukherji | TNN 17.11.11





Haldia (East Midnapore): Haldia Petrochemicals Limited (HPL), the flagship of neo-industrialisation, decided to slash its fleet of cars as a costcutting measure in October. It could shed the car fleet, but could not get rid of the drivers. Result: HPL is paying out the wages of these idle drivers engaged by contractors. 
    Mitsubishi Chemicals (MCCPTA) lost one manday because Trinamool Congress goons demanded a huge sum from the transporters on Viswakarma Puja. The extortionists backed down only when the news reached the state secretariat. 
    

On November 1, goons punctured more than 2,000 cartons of edible oil at Emami Biotech

On November 1, Emami Biotech officials were shocked to see that goons had punctured more than 2,000 cartons of edible oil with knives or screwdrivers. The oil spilled all over the floor of factory’s packaging shed. A complaint was lodged at Haldia’s Bhawanipore police station. The loss was worth Rs 10 lakh. Police retrieved a poster addressed to the labour contractor threatening him with dire consequences. 
    The state’s biggest industrial hub, Haldia, is in dire straits. And it’s not just the economic downturn. Extortion by toughs owing allegiance to the ruling party has become a rule in Haldia — only the party changes with the change of guard at Writers’ Buildings. 
    There was a time when companies used to dispatch the wage bills of workers to the Haldia Citu office from where workers on contract got their wages. With the CPM hegemony gone, Trinamoolbacked unions are desperate to gain control of this “gold trove”. Unlike the CPM era, there is no one Laxman Seth in the area. The new extortion regime has given birth to many such Seths who have started flexing their muscles at the slightest pretext to have their way. If some of these local touts enjoy the confidence of Trinamool MP Subhendu Adhikary, the budding monarch of Haldia, there are others within the Trinamool to queer Adhikary’s pitch. They all swear by Trinamool MLA Shiuli Saha. Investors ignoring this political parameter are bound to suffer. 
    There is no point looking at a single window solution to this problem. It’s not feasible to come 
all the way to meet chief minister Mamata Banerjee or send an SOS to industries minister Partha Chatterjee for the daily hazards. The politics here revolves around the small-time leaders looking for short-term gains. They are not bothered with the company’s financial health or its future. They want to get their men absorbed in the company payrolls, and not the other way round. And if someone in the Trinamool-backed labour unions takes a pragmatic stance, he runs the risk of getting outnumbered by his factional rivals. 
    The industry has now become a war front with the threats and sabotage turning into full-scale armed clashes to establish hegemony. 
    Managers of industry are now unable to find a method in the madness. They do not know who to negotiate with on wage disputes or other trade union demands. “There is no end to the wheeling-dealing. If we agree to the demands of one 

    faction, we 
    earn the wrath of the other. And yet another group comes up with another charter of demands with a vengeance. We are facing threats and counter threats. In the Left regime, we knew that dealing with the Citu was the ‘be-all-and-endall’ of the issue. But now it is getting tough by the day,” an industry representative said. 
    The desperate situation has prompted the Haldia Council of the Bengal Chamber of Commerce to convene an emergency meeting on 
November 30. HPL managing director and Haldia Council’s chairman Partha S Bhattacharyya said: “All industry related matters will be discussed in the meeting.” 
    Prior to this discussion, the industry needs to lend ear to what the Trinamool foot soldiers in Haldia have to say. Haldia town Trinamool Congress vice-president Pintu Bhattacharjee and Trinamool MLA Shiuli Saha went hammer and tongs at party MP Subhendu Adhikary. 
   

In the name of the Trinamool trade union, some people are extorting and amassing personal wealth. Neither the party, nor the labourers are benefited. We are the original flag-bearers of the party when the Trinamool was constantly under attack. But when we sought affiliation of our trade union, we were denied by state-level leaders. We have formed a parallel INTTUC union at each company as we can only protect the interest of workers. Our leader Subhendu Adhikary has brought some hooligans from outside to run the Trinamool labour wing at different units. These hooligans are extorting labourers, extracting ransom from industrialists and selling jobs at a premium 
—Pintu Bhattacharjee | INTTUC LEADER & HALDIA TOWN TRINAMOOL CONGRESS VICE-PRESIDENT

 “We represent the original party. We built the party’s base, brick by brick. But now we find ourselves left behind. Our leader Subhendu Adhikary has brought some hooligans from outside to run the Trinamool labour wing at different units. These hooligans are extorting labourers, extracting ransom from industrialists, selling jobs at a premium,” they said. 

Some opportunistic people, who have come to Trinamool from the CPM, are trying to defame the party and its leader Subhendu Adhikary. We have affiliation. Others who are trying to pass off as the real INTTUC have not been affiliated by the party. What they are doing is unconstitutional. The allegation of extortion against us is baseless 
—Milan Mondal | IINTTUC LEADER

Milan Mondal of the Subhendu faction denied the charge. “Some opportunists from the CPM, who are claiming themselves to be Trinamool workers, have been trying to fish in the murky water. They are trying to defame the party.” However, Mondal admitted that there was some “overdoing”, when specifically asked about the Mitsubishi transporter extortion case. 
When asked about the involvement of dubious characters like Selim, Arman Bhola, Mona Jana and Subal Middadas — all of whom have criminal antecedents — in the trade unions, Mondal saw 
nothing wrong in it. He described them as “social activists”. “We could not have countered the Citu without them. If you are in danger, they will be the first to come to your rescue. They are the true Trinamool workers. In the Left regime, police booked almost all the leaders worth their salt under heinous sections. So don’t be taken by the police records.” 
    A few days ago, Gokul Tung, a tough of the Shiuli faction, allegedly threatened independent workers agitating at KS Oil gates under the banner of Jana Jagaran Mancha. Tung warned them of a severe beating if they do not come under their fold. 
    If there was any doubt about the Trinamool infighting, hear it in the rivals’ own words. 
    HDA chairman and Tamluk MP Subhendu Adhikary said,” There is no room for confusion. The industry should recognise only affiliated trade unions. Why should it deal with unrecognised ones? There is no truth in the rumours going around. On the contrary, Haldia is experiencing a new dawn with greater productivity, excellent work-atmosphere where both industry and workers can work at peace.” 
    Haldia MLA Shiuli Saha strongly differs. “I am answerable to my people and my voters. I have to raise my voice if my people do not get jobs. If the party MP has his way, why can’t I? I have already written a letter on this to the state leadership,” Saha said. 



BAD FOR BUSINESS
 Haldia is witnessing a new dawn with greater productivity and zero-man day loss. You will hardly find the extortion and blackmailing that existed at the time of Laxman Seth. Citu has been systematically spreading rumours that have no basis 
Subhendu Adhikary | TAMLUK MP & HALDIA DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY CHAIRMAN 



There is neither democracy, nor impartial administration. We are not allowed to function. We are being attacked. Labourers are losing jobs if they hold red flags. The industry is suffering as it has to satisfy many demands from various factions 
Sudarshan Manna | CITU DISTRICT COMMITTEE MEMBER & CPM’S HALDIA ZONAL SECRETARY 



We are confused. There are two sets of union leaders from the same party, each claiming to be the genuine one. They place separate charters of demand. If we agree to one, the other comes up with a steeper demand. In the Left Front regime, Citu was at least the be-all-and-end-all 
A top industrialist, AFRAID TO BE NAMED 



The demands of the trade unions remind me of the man who killed the goose that gave golden eggs 
Partha S Bhattacharyya | MD, HALDIA PETROCHEMICALS & CHAIRMAN OF HALDIA FORUM OF BENGAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 



Those who have built the Trinamool in Haldia are being ignored. Some dubious outsiders are getting prominence. The state leadership is also giving trade union affiliation to some particular people, not those who fought for the party despite having been beaten up by the CPM workers 
Siuli Saha | HALDIA TRINAMOOL MLA

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