We are against job cut: Mamata Banerjee

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said her government was against any job cut even for loss making state-owned enterprises.

"I am against any job loss. We had 90 corporations but to make them viable we had either merged or restructured them but without any job cut. Now the number had come to about 45," Banerjee said.

Today hundreds of employees of Central PSU Bridge & Roof staged a protest here against the Union government's decision for strategic sale of 99.53 per cent equity and transfer of management control of the company.

A demonstration was held today for a few hours at the company's head quarters here including road blockade.

"The government has already sought tender for legal advisors. So, now we have decided to start a mass agitation here tomorrow and demonstrate in Delhi later," a spokesperson of the Bridge & Roof (India) Ltd Employees & Unions said.

The government intends to go in for strategic sale of 99.53 per cent equity and transfer of management control in Bridge & Roof Company, which is under the control of the Ministry of Heavy Industries.

"The unfortunate decision of the government will have a serious impact on the livelihood of thousands of employees and their families. 

Apart from 2200 employees on its rolls, there are around 15,000 direct and indirect workmen deployed across some 200 project sites of the company all over India," the union convenor Kamal Biswas said in the statement.

It said the employees were astonished with such a decision as the company is continuously making profits and paying dividend to the government of India.