Gurugram : A day after an incident in which the employees of a Manesar-based company turned violent and set a company bus on fire, the industrialists’ body strongly condemned the act, saying such violent protests often harmed the investment prospects.
The protesters were demonstrating against the transfer of nine employees to another unit of the company in Bhiwadi (Rajasthan). Later, the protests took a violent turn.
The industrialists’ body on Wednesday asserted that first, the state’s 75 per cent reservation bill has impacted the growth of industries and now such incidents have created panic among them and it will also harm the investors’ segment.
“The state government’s 75 per cent reservation bill has already hit the business body. Now, this violence will have a huge impact on investor prospects. The government should reconsider its reservation bill for growth of industries across the state,” Mahesh Vyas, an industrialist, said.
It is pertinent to mention that the Supreme Court in February had lifted an interim stay imposed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on a Haryana law providing 75 per cent reservation in private sector jobs to local candidates.
The Haryana State Employment of Local Candidates Act, 2020, was passed in November last year and applies to jobs offering a maximum gross monthly salary or wages of Rs 30,000. It came into effect on January 15, 2022.
Meanwhile, reacting to Tuesday’s incident, Pawan Yadav, president of IMT Manesar Industrial Association, said: “Such actions will never be beneficial for workers. If the employees have any issue with the company’s decision they should adopt the proper way of protest and should not revolt. The company must also taken care of the employees’ rights. Such violence will have a negative impact on both the company and the employees which are not good for business aspects.”
In connection with the incident, the police had arrested 130 employees of the firm on Tuesday. All have been granted bail.
KK Gandhi, president of the Sector-37 Industrial Association, said: “Due to the 75 per cent reservation law several companies have already moved out from the city and those still exist here only doing temporary operations and now such incidents will impact the operations of the remaining unit it will create a panic atmosphere among the company or factory owners.”
Furthermore, on Wednesday, the workers were protesting from 500 metres away from the company to fulfil their demands.
“The recent violence cannot be tolerated… the state government must take necessary steps to stop such violence in future,” Jagat Pal Singh, the General Secretary of the Sector-37 Industrial Association said.
–IANS