With the wage hike issue of sugar mills in Maharashtra refusing to die down, a recent tri-partite meeting that was held in Pune to mitigate the woes of sugar factory workers wound up without any results. Nearly one lakh sugar factory workers in Maharashtra have been demanding 40% hike in wages.
The meeting of the tri-partite committee · headed by Vasantdada Sugar Institute vice-president Shivajirao Patil · yielded no results due to a lacklustre response from the sugar mills. Besides a couple of chairmen, two factories’ representatives and a handful of workers’ representatives of sugar mills, the turnout was very low. No known leader of sugar factories turned up for the meeting, a source said.
Talking to the FE, Shivajirao Patil said: “As only a couple of chairmen turned up for the meeting, no decision could be taken. We have now asked the Maharashtra Rajya Sakhar Karkhana Sangh to hold their meetings first and clarify their position, so that we can then hold our meetings and arrive at a decision.”
Patil said the four-year wage pact that was formed between workers and factories to redress the grievances of workers, ended in April 2009. Subsequently, a new panel came into existence in July 2015.A meeting was held thereafter and that failed.
With the crushing season approaching, the wage hike talks are giving no signs of letting the issue fade quickly. President of Kamgar Sangh Tatyasaheb Kale said: “One cannot help the situation.”
Meanwhile, several workers in the Beed region, who have been demanding a hike in wages to R450 per tonne, say they will stop cane from reaching factories.
The crushing season in the state, however, has got off to a slow start with the Sugar Commissionerate issuing crushing licences to around 11 sugar mills, six cooperative and five private mills. Sugar Commissioner Vipin Sharma said: “Boilers of some nine factories have been ignited and crushing is likely to begin in a week. The Commissionerate and regional joint directors together have received applications from some 172 mills in the state for crushing and these licences will be issued in due course after scrutiny.”
The fair and remunerative price ( FRP) arrears from the last season now amount to some R1,150 crore and mills will have to clear these dues within one month of commencing crushing operations.
The government has made it clear that mills will have to pay the new FRP as well in a single amount failing which legal action will be taken against them.
While farmer organisations have been on a warpath seeking one time FRP payment, several mills have passed resolutions in their general body meetings stating that FRP will be paid in three installments.