Employees of the State-owned Mysore Paper Mills Limited (MPM), Bhadravathi, regretted that the State government is keen on privatising the company, ignoring the livelihood of over 2,300 workers.
They said that with the enforcement of the layoff by the company, they were put to hardship and demanded that the government safeguard them by reviving it.
On behalf of the employees, labour leader C. Mahesh Kumar told presspersons on Wednesday that the government had taken initiatives to privatise the company eyeing the asset of over Rs. 6,600 crores. Because of administrative lapses, the company had incurred a loss of over Rs. 550 crores.
“This is not a huge amount. The government can revive the company with the help of the Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction,” he said.
Mr. Kumar said that during 2000 and 2006, previous governments had taken the decision to revive the company. “The government could appoint a financial institution such as IDBI as a strategic partner with whose financial help the company could be run,” he said.
He said that the present government, by holding the Global Investors Meet, is inviting foreign companies to invest in the State.
However, at the same time, the government is systematically attempting to close down Mysore Paper Mills Limited and transfer the property to private parties.
He demanded that the government drop all process for leasing the company and protect the workers.
With the enforcement of
the layoff, the workers are put to serious hardship
