Bata employees union ask for investment to raise productivity

Kolkata, Aug 25 (PTI) In a refreshing change, theemployees union at Bata India’s Batanagar factory near herehas asked the management to invest and modernise the unit toimprove productivity at the company’s oldest facility. "We have asked the Bata management to invest and modernisethe Batanagar factory for raising productivity and also torecruit more people on the rolls," said Subir Chakraborty,General Secretary of Bata Mazdoor Union, the sole bargainingagent at the (Batanagar) factory. The union comprises elected members from major politicalparties like the Trinamool Congress, Congress and CPI(M). He said that the factory, which was set up more than 80years back, was still the biggest facility of the company. Bata India, which has also has manufacturing units atPatna, Bangalore and Faridabad, once manufactured 3.5 crorepairs per year at the Batanagar factory. Now, the production at the factory has come down to almostone crore pairs a year, but more than the combined output ofall the other units, he told reporters here today. "We are happy that the management has started investing inthe factory and we assure that there will be no problem infuture," he said. Bata India, which started from Kolkata, later shifted itsheadquarter to Gurgaon following major trade unionism issues. The Batanagar unit was employing 1,574 workers and another1,000 indirectly. "It is in the interest of West Bengal that the Batanagarfactory should flourish," he said. PTI dc MDABI