KAKINADA: The management of APP Mills at Kadiyam in East Godavari district has announced a lockout, leaving hundreds of workers without work and triggering protests.
District collector Keerthi Chekuri directed labour department officials to hold discussions with both the management and workers to resolve the issue.
According to sources, contract workers have been on a flash strike since April 27, demanding a wage revision and renewal of an agreement that expired several years ago. Workers said they had been urging the management for the past three months to revise salaries and allowances, but no action was taken.
Around 840 contract workers and 410 regular employees are employed at the mill. On Friday night, when regular workers reported for the ‘C’ shift, the management announced a lockout and asked them not to attend work.
Workers appealed to the management to reconsider the decision, stating that their livelihoods would be severely affected. However, the management did not respond.
The management also suspended seven regular employees and issued show-cause notices, alleging they supported the striking contract workers. The employees denied the charges.
Rajamahendravaram Rural MLA Gorantla Buchaiah Chowdary extended support to the workers and demanded equal pay for equal work on par with APP Mills in Rajamahendravaram.
On Saturday, Kadiyam mandal tahsildar Sunil Kumar and DSP Shiva Priya held talks with both sides, but no breakthrough was achieved. Later in the day, labour department officials held further discussions in the presence of the district collector to find a resolution.
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