Bata employees union seeks investment to raise productivity

KOLKATA: In a refreshing change, the employees union at Bata India's Batanagar factory near here has asked the management to invest and modernise the unit to improve productivity at the company's oldest facility.

"We have asked the Bata management to invest and modernise the Batanagar facBatanagar factory. Now, the tory for raising productivity production at the factory has and also to recruit more peocome down to almost one ple on the rolls," said Subir crore pairs a year, but more Chakraborty, General Secretary than the combined output of Bata Mazdoor Union, of all the other units, he told the sole bargaining agent at the reporters here on Thursday. (Batanagar) factory. "We are happy that the

The union comprises management has started elected members from major investing in the factory and political parties like the Tri- we assure that there will be no namool Congress, Congress problem in future," he said. and CPI(M). He said that Bata India, which started from the factory, which was set up Kolkata, later shifted its headquarter more than 80 years back, was to Gurgaon following still the biggest facility of the major trade unionism issues. company. The Batanagar unit was

Bata India, which has also employing 1,574 workers and has manufacturing units at another 1,000 indirectly. "It is Patna, Bangalore and Faridabad, in the interest of West Benonce manufactured 3.5 gal that the Batanagar factory crore pairs per year at the should flourish," he said.