Serendipity : Musings of an Islander

Will the workers 13 years wait for settlement of VRS dues meet its logical end? Perhaps how the I sland A dministration responds to the decree would decide what the answer be. Those who followed my earlier post on the issue might be aware more than 800 workers of the erstwhile M/S A ndaman T imber I ndustries L td (popularly known as ATI ) have not been paid retirement and statutory dues admissible to them since the factory closed in the fall of 2000 . Estranged workers raised the issue in every available forum. Even a favourable L abour C ourt A ward was not honoured. This article traces the issue that has been hanging fire for more than 13 years.   Factory's two of the three sheds collapsed on 26 Dec 2004 due to the Great Sumatra-Andaman earthquake M/S A ndaman T imber I ndustries L imited had its P lywood manufacturing factory at S hore P oint V illage near B ambooflat J etty in S outh A ndaman. The factory started sometime in the early 60’s with a modest t...

The workers of M/S A ndaman T imber I ndustries (now called M/S ATI L td) have been reeling under abject poverty ever since the company closed its operation rendering thousands of its workers jobless. To add insult to the injury, workers retirement dues had been linked to liquidation of company’s immovable property, which is the subject matter of court’s proceedings. M/S A ndaman  T imber  I ndustries  having its plywood manufacturing company at S hore P oint, B ambooflat in S outh A ndaman closed permanently on 9th O ctober 2000. Following wide spread protest, a meeting was convened by the then H on’ble L t G overnor at R aj N ivas involving ATI management, the then MP , ATI workers representatives, and S enior officers of A&N A dministration on 08/09/2001 . Subsequent to the deliberations at R aj N ivas and with the  MP  later in the day, ATI management issued a notice under R ef N o 231/118/2001-02 dated 17/09/2001 promising its workers enhanced ret...

SAGA OF ENDLESS WAIT FOR THE ERSTWHILE WORKERS OF M/S ATI LIMITED IN THE MATTER OF RETIREMENT CLAIM M/s Andaman Timber Industries  L imited, popularly known as ATI had its plywood manufacturing factory at S hore P oint V illage near B ambooflat J etty in S outh A ndaman. The factory started sometime in the early 60’s with a modest two digit workforce, soon emerged as the frontrunner providing livelihood option, directly or indirectly to a majority of the population residing in rural S outh A ndamans. At its peak the factory operated in three shifts (round the clock) with strength of about 1200 workers who were paid wages over and above the rates fixed by G ovt. Workers too complemented the management’s generosity by their devotion towards work to the extent that plywoods manufactured at ATI were unarguably T he B est. Peoples swearing in the name of ATI plywoods for quality was in vogue. Such was the reputation of ATI during hey days. The symbiosis, churning out good...