Karnataka’s Labour Minister A. Shivaram Hebbar visited the trouble-hit Wistron plant at Narasapura near Kolar on Sunday for the first time since violence broke out at the factory over pending wages recently. He announced that the government was working towards getting the plant restarted in the next 20 days.
“All the departmental heads of the plant were not present on Sunday. We will serve them notices and hold a meeting in Bengaluru soon to iron out all issues. We will work towards finding a permanent solution to the problem and our priority is to restart the plant as soon as possible,” he said, after the visit.
There have been concerns in the State government over the message the incident had sent to investors and the government was keen on correcting the same, sources said.
Meanwhile, he said the company would not be let off the hook. “The government will ensure all pending dues of salaries and overtime pay to all employees, both on rolls and on contract, will be paid by the company,” he said. While promising that all those working at the plant would get back their jobs, he said those arrested by the police for violence at the plant would have to face legal consequences.
The Minister said the Labour Department was committed to promoting good relations between managements and workers. “Toyota Kirloskar plant at Bidadi was shut down for the past 26 days. After three meetings on the issue, first shift has started and we are confident that in the next 10 days second shift will also be restarted,” he said.
