BENGALURU: Saturday’s
violence
at
Wistron
’s
Kolar
plant, where it assembles
iPhones, has caused losses amounting to an estimated Rs 437 crore, the company stated in its complaint to the police and the labour department, reports Sandeep Moudgal.
The losses are primarily due to the theft of thousands of iPhones, allegedly looted from the unit during the violence, and damage caused to Wistron’s assembly line and factory equipment, the complaint said. Condemning the two-hour violence,
Karnataka labour minister Shivaram Hebbar said the damages caused to the company were unacceptable.
According to the government, the dispute between Wistron and the contract labourers has been going on for three months. Hebbar said Wistron had contracted six subsidiary companies to hire 8,900 people for its Kolar unit.
“Besides, the company had 1,200 permanent employees,” he added. Industries minister Jagadish Shettar said the violence was, perhaps, fueled by miscommunication between Wistron, the contractors and the employees.
“What we hear is that the company had made payments to the labour contractors, who delayed payments to the employees. This is being verified,” he said. Hebbar said the labour department has issued notices to Wistron, asking the firm to pay the dues in three days.
A Journalist by profession, Sandeep Moudgal has an experience of ...
Read MoreA Journalist by profession, Sandeep Moudgal has an experience of 18 years in the field with Politics and Policy as forte. He is a Senior Assistant Editor with the Bengaluru bureau and Karnataka as his jurisdiction. Has a Master's degree in Ancient History and Archaeology from Mysore University along with a PGDJ from the Asian College of Journalism.
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