Britannia’s Delhi plant contract workers on strike

Production at biscuits major Britannia Industries's Delhi factory has been partially impacted as contract workers have gone on strike. The temporary workers at the plant, which makes a variety of products including biscuits and bread, have been demanding regularisation of employment apart from hike in wages.

The company has declared the strike illegal and said availability of its products in the market will not be impacted by workers' stir.

‘The said illegal strike has had a partial impact on the  production/operation at the said factory,’ the company said in a filing to the BSE, Further, the company said: ‘This illegal strike has a very small impact on the overall business/operation of the company, including the availability of the finished products in the market.’ Later in the day, a Britannia Industries spokesperson said: ‘We have also made arrangements to secure services to the market by shifting parts of production to other locations.’

Britannia Industries sells a variety of biscuit brands, including Good Day, Tiger, 50-50, Marie Gold, apart from dairy products and cakes. The Delhi factory accounts for about 3-4 per cent of the company's total production capacity. It employs a total of about 900 workers out of which around 150 are permanent.

The company produces its various products through 12 company-owned plants and 40 owned by third parties. Stating that the allegations made by the contract labourers were 'false and baseless', the spokesperson said ‘there is no question of retrenchment’ as ‘the concerned labourers are purely on contractual basis’.

The spokesperson further said: ‘We are hoping to partly operationalise the factory with permanent employees shortly.’