Dunlop India Recommences Sahaganj Production

After standing idle for more than a year, on December 2 Dunlop India’s Sahaganj factory in West Bengal resumed production. The facility had been closed since November 2008 and been the subject of first a lockout and then electricity connection issues, yet preliminary work to resume production has now began in preparation for an initial production of 40 tonnes of OTR tyres per day.

According to a Dunlop India spokesperson, 840 of the 1039 Sahaganj plant’s employees turned up for work on the morning of December 2. However 25 of these workers, who were suspended during the plant’s closure, were not permitted to work. These workers reportedly sat in front of the factory gates threatening to commence an indefinite hunger strike if not permitted to begin working. One Indian website, topnews.in, states however that “a last minute assurance by Dunlop India chairman Pawan Kumar Ruia” ensured their inclusion in the payroll. “The workers will be absorbed in work outside the factory,” a Dunlop spokesperson was quoted as saying.