Sucre Ethique - India : Sugar mill workers threaten to commit relay suicides

The Times of India - vendredi 19 février 2010

CHANDIGARH : About 1,000 employees of sugar mills in Punjab have threatened to commit relay suicides across the state if government fails to pay up their salaries withheld for 23 months.
High drama was witnessed at the office of Punjab Agro Foodgrains Corporation where hassled employees met senior Akali leader Prem Singh Chandumajra and declared their intentions.

"We are dying of hunger. We are desperate and want the government to take notice and not just overlook our plight yet again," said Gurmeet Singh, general secretary of Sugar Mills Worker Union after about 20 of them gheraoed senior SAD leader Chandumajra who was in town to show his solidarity with Randhir Singh Rakhra, the newly-appointed chairman of Punjab Agro Food Grains Corporation, who took over on Thursday.

The government, said Gurmeet Singh, has been taking employees for a ride. "We have been doing nothing except run after politicians, officials for release of our salaries. Now only drastic measures will fetch us attention and our due."