Britannia Industries announced the departure of its permanent workers at the historic Taratala factory in Kolkata last week, and speculation is now rife that the biscuit-maker may fully exit West Bengal.
The FMCG major on June 20 informed the exchanges that all permanent workers at its Taratala factory in Kolkata accepted a voluntary retirement scheme (VRS), leading to whispers of a possible shutdown of one of the company’s oldest units in India.
On social media and in media reports, the Britannia news has led to comparisons with the departure of Bata and Tata Nano from the eastern Indian state.
Britannia committed to Bengal, says Amit Mitra
However, Amit Mitra, special advisor to the Chief Minister of West Bengal on finance, on June 25 told reporters that Varun Berry, MD of Britannia Industries has assured him the company is committed to stay and will maintain its registered office in Kolkata, PTI reported.
“It’s registered office will stay in Kolkata. The shareholders meeting will continue to be in Kolkata. The Kolkata factory was shut down as it was outdated,” India Today quoted Mitra saying.
Mitra said Berry, who is travelling abroad, called him and said he would visit to “discuss how to strengthen the company’s presence in the state”, the PTI report said, adding that there is no confirmation yet on future manufacturing at the Taratala plant.
“Berry emphasized that West Bengal is one of the company’s largest markets. We want to build Britannia’s business from strength to strength in West Bengal. The company is manufacturing products worth ₹1,000-1,200 crore in the state, which will be maintained,” Mitra said quoting Berry.
A company spokesperson did not respond to PTI’s queries about Mitra’s statement, it added.
Fears Still Persist
Left-backed trade union CITU told PTI that the Taratala plant has seen no production for more than 20 days now. “All 122 permanent employees have accepted VRS, and negotiations are ongoing for 250 contractual workers,” Gautam Ray, senior CITU leader told the news agency.
Meanwhile, the BJP sought to blame the state’s ruling TMC for “Bengal’s descent”. In a post on social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter, BJP’s IT cell chief Amit Malviya blamed the TMC for “profound disarray”.
“Today’s shutdown of Britannia Industries’ factory starkly epitomizes the descent of Bengal—a region once renowned for its cultural richness and intellectual prowess—into profound disarray,” he wrote.
Malviya blamed the left and TMC for “unionbaji and tolabaji” as “twin curses” ensnaring West Bengal.
(With inputs from PTI)
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Published: 26 Jun 2024, 03:01 PM IST