Mr. Markus Akermann
Chief Executive Officer, Holcim
Dear Mr. Akermann,
We are shocked to hear that the Holcim company has got filed false cases of “dacoity” against the union leaders of the Pragatisheel Cement Shramik Sangh – including its Organising Secretary Lakhan Sahu – through its security officers Nand Lal Choubey and Y.P. Singh employed in its Ambuja unit at Rawaan, district Raipur, India.
This seems to be an attempt to crush the union at time when it is engaged in a battle in the High Court and Supreme Court in the case of the Holcim-ACC unit at Jamul, and has also raised the dispute of illegal retrenchment of 80 of its members in the Holcim-Ambuja unit at Rawaan.
We demand that such malicious prosecution, which is an instance of union-busting and an unfair labour practice under Indian labour law, be withdrawn and the management negotiate with the union on its justified demands, failing which we will be constrained to take action under international law.
We call again on you to ensure that your subsidiary companies in India guarantee the equal rights of contract workers and fully respect local legislation. We urge your company to institute a dialogue with the trade union in India in order to achieve a mutually acceptable solution to this situation.
In order to develop cooperation and further improve communication with trade unions and establish global standards which will serve as a model for Holcim operations around the world, we wish to seek a dialogue between the leaders of our organizations.
Yours sincerely
Gopal Krishna
Occupational Health India (OHI)
Mew Delhi
