Madras High Court orders notice to Tamil Nadu government, Nokia

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court today issued notice to the state government and Nokia on a petition seeking a direction to restrain the mobile handset manufacturer from dismantling and taking away machinery and materials from the factory premises at Sriperumbudur, near here.

Justice M Duraiswamy, before whom the petition filed by the five men committee headed by R Veerasekaran came up for admission, issued notice to the state government and Nokia and adjourned the case for two weeks.

The committee said after enjoying the benefits of government and making huge profits all these years, Nokia cannot be permitted to take away machinery and materials, leaving ex-workers in the lurch, and making the industrial dispute they had raised as infructuous.

Noting that the company was making profit continuously since 2005, the petitioners alleged it entered into illegal settlement to close the factory without taking permission from the state government.

They wanted the court to direct the assistant commissioner of labour (conciliation) to conciliate the dispute raised by the petitioners on February 23 and effect settlement "and If no settlement is forthcoming, authorities shall submit a failure report as per Industrial Disputes Act.

They also wanted the court to direct the company to pay wages every month from November 2014 onwards till the factory is opened.

Nokia has been manufacturing mobile phones since 2005 and it employed about 6,000 permanent employees, besides apprentices, trainees and contract workers. The state has given several concessions in the allotment of land for factory, sales tax concession, uninterrupted power supply, power tariff concession besides SEZ benefits.