CITU Condemns Udham Singh Nagar DM for Refusing to Meet Delegation to Discuss V-Guard Employees' Protest

Rudrapur: The CITU on Monday launched a sharp attack on Udham Singh Nagar District Magistrate Nitin Singh Bhadauria after he refused to meet a senior CITU delegation that had arrived with a prior appointment to discuss the ongoing labour unrest at the V-Guard plant in Rudrapur.

The delegation, led by CITU General Secretary Elamaram Kareem, included National Secretary K N Umesh, state President M P Jhakmola, General Secretary Rajendra Singh Negi and district leadership. Despite holding a confirmed appointment, the team was made to wait for over three hours before the District Magistrate refused to engage upon learning of their organisational affiliation — conduct CITU described as "unacceptable arrogance" and a gross abdication of a public servant's duty.

The delegation had earlier visited protesting V-Guard workers at Gandhi Park, Rudrapur, where they learned of conditions inside the plant that precipitated the walkout. The Rudrapur facility employs around 3,000 contract workers — the overwhelming majority of them young women — with no permanent employees at all. Workers are paid approximately ₹9,000 per month, and basic labour laws are routinely flouted. When workers launched protests demanding wage revision, they were met with lathi charges, police repression, and forcible eviction from the factory premises, with a large number subsequently barred from re-entering.

CITU stated that the DM's conduct constitutes a violation of the All India Services (Conduct) Amendment Rules, 2014, and called upon all affiliated unions and units to strongly protest the high-handedness.

However, the sit-in protest inside the DM's office was later called off after the Collector directed the Additional District Magistrate and Labour Department officials to hold talks with CITU leaders. Following assurances that discussions would be held in the Collector's presence the next day and that workers taken into custody would be released, the delegation agreed to end the protest.

CITU has demanded immediate intervention of the district labour administration to resolve the dispute, revision of the Minimum Wages in Uttarakhand, and an urgent meeting between the state government and central trade union leadership to address pending issues.