VRS for two HMT units at Pinjore on anvil: Government

NEW DELHI: Government today said it will come out with a Voluntary Retirement Scheme ( VRS) for the employees of two HMT units at Pinjore, Haryana, acknowledging that the staffers had not been paid salaries for several months.

Intervening on an issue raised by Kumari Selja (Congress) during the Zero Hour in Rajya Sabha, Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Anant G Geete said the HMT Pinjore units were in a "crisis" and employees have not been paid salaries.

"(We are going) to give VRS to HMT. We have talked with the employees, they are satisfied," he said, adding that the package will be on the lines of VRS announced for three other HMT units earlier.

HMT Pinjore consists of a tractor plant and a machine tool unit.

In January, the Government had decided to close three unviable units of HMT including the once popular HMT Watches, along with HMT Chinar Watches and HMT Bearings, by offering an "attractive" VRS to the employees as per 2007 pay scales.

Raising the issue of non-payment of salaries to the employees of Pinjore units, Selja asked why was the government adamant on its decision to shut down the units.

Selja said she suspected that the land would be sold after the closure of the units.

However, Geete said there was no plan to sell the land.

Selja said she has written a letter to the Prime Minister over the plight of the thousands of employees who have not been paid salaries for several months. She also suggested that the Pinjore units should be revived through joint venture, with either defence or railways under the ' Make In India' initiative.