Delhi: Staff protests at Janpath’s Cottage emporium

Staff at CCIC emporium in Janpath protest unpaid salaries for 5 months, fear backlash. Ministry unaware. Management denies allegations of fake protest.

The Central Cottage Industries Corporation (CCIC) emporium at Janpath, an operation that falls under the Union textile ministry, has become the site of a protest by staffers who claim that they have not been paid their salary for the past five months.

The workers alleged that they do not get medical allowance, overtime, conveyance allowance, or other benefits. (HT Photo)

These workers alleged they cannot openly demonstrate without fearing a backlash from the government, and hence are wearing pink badges with the words “we are under protest”. They claimed that the matter remains unresolved despite several appeals and letters to the ministry, including to Union minister Piyush Goyal.

“We have been told that we are not getting paid because of the pandemic, but the management still gets their hefty salaries every month,” said Rakesh Kumar, one of the protesting staffers.

Shyam Narayan, another worker, added, “They tell us that if we protest, they will put harassment charges on us and hand us over to the police.”

Textile ministry spokesperson Vikas Narain said the ministry wasn’t aware of the protest and did not offer further comment.

The workers alleged that they do not get medical allowance, overtime, conveyance allowance, or other benefits. “Contractual workers who have less experience get paid ₹30,000 or more, while those of us who have been working here for decades do not even get their salaries. They have put people with no experience in the big positions, and our sales have hit rock bottom,” said staffer Vasudevnan, who goes by one name.

However, the office of emporium managing director Mohan Lal said that he too is not receiving his salary. “It is due to the pandemic. The workers are protesting for no reason,” an official in his office said.

Meanwhile, the cottage emporium’s official account on X posted that the information given by the protesters is fake, and the store is running into losses because the workers have not been coming to work — a charge that the workers deny.