Raymond employees oppose housing project in Thane

The Kamgar Utkarsha Sabha, a workers’ union comprising 2,000 employees of Raymond Group, have approached the Bombay High Court seeking a ban on the proposed housing project to be built at the Raymond factory in Thane after closing it down.

The Kamgar Utkarsha Sabha, a workers’ union comprising 2,000 employees of Raymond Group, have approached the Bombay High Court seeking a ban on the proposed housing project to be built at the Raymond factory in Thane after closing it down.

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Alternatively, the union has asked that all employees be given a flat measuring 500 sq feet on the same factory premises, in case the housing project is given a green signal by the Central and state governments.

“There are 2-3 earning members in a family of most of the workers, and most of them are working at the unit. If such a closure & shifting is allowed, then these families will be ruined only to satisfy the greed of the employer,” said the petition.

According to the petition filed by the union through their advocate V P Patil, the company has 18 units in the world.

The factory at Thane is the main unit, which is earning a huge profit.

The petition states that if the company is not ready to run the factory, then the government should run it.

The union also said that company wants to enter the realty business in Thane.

“Changing a business by closing down the existing profitable factory is illegal, unjust and unconstitutional,” said the petition.

The petition said the union is ready to run the Thane unit by paying its book value to the company, by which it can do any business, including realty.

The union also said that if the government allows the scheme, then the workers should get compensation by way of their entire wage till the respective retirement date.