From Asansol by Shyam Das:
Contractual workers staged intense protests and expressed deep resentment demanding their overdue salaries at a private iron factory named 'Anjani Rail Private Limited', located in the Dhendua area under Salanpur police station in the industrial hub of Asansol, West Bengal's Paschim Bardhaman district. Raising serious allegations of not receiving any salary for the past three months, around two hundred and fifty angry workers gathered in front of the main gate of the factory since this morning and began demonstrating.
The workers' primary complaint is that they have not been paid their regular remuneration for the last three months. As a result, their families are forced to spend their days in extreme financial crisis. With skyrocketing prices of essential commodities and the current market conditions, running their households has become agonizing. From their children's education to medical treatment and even daily groceries—heavy loans at high interest rates have now become their only resort for everything. Today, they unitedly raised their voices demanding the immediate clearance of these pending salaries. The workers issued a clear warning that if their dues are not settled promptly, this agitation will take on an even larger shape in the days to come. If necessary, they will not hesitate to take stern decisions such as completely halting the factory's production.
Sensation spread within the factory due to this sudden and intense worker protest. Sensing a worsening situation, some representatives from the factory management came outside to speak with the protesting workers and attempted to calm the situation. The management assured the agitating workers that all their pending salaries would be cleared by next Wednesday.
However, the angry workers are reluctant to rely on this verbal assurance from the mid-level factory officials. They demand that the main owner of the factory or the concerned contractor must personally come, stand before the workers, and announce a specific date for when the overdue money will be handed over to them. They remain firm on their stance that they will not withdraw from this movement without a written commitment and the direct presence of the management. According to the latest reports, a tense and grim atmosphere still prevails within the factory premises. To find a permanent solution to this complex problem, the helpless workers have demanded a tripartite discussion through the swift intervention of the local administration and the labor department.
