Agitation turns violent at Wistron’s iPhone plant in Kolar

News Network

December 12, 2020

Kolar, Dec 12: Violence erupted at Wistron's iPhone manufacturing plant at Narsapur in Kolar district of Karnataka, over delayed salary payment.

Police said that nearly 2,000 workers, while returning home after a night shift, attacked the factory and smashed windows of the senior executive offices, the factory’s front lobby and flipping parked cars and they even attempted to set fire to the parked vehicles.

The police immediately rushed to the spot and resorted to lathi-charge to disperse the workers. Over 100 agitators have been detained.

It was alleged that the incident was triggered by weeks of shouldering unrest over lack of payments. “The issue has been festering for about 8 to 10 weeks, during which employees were subject to arbitrary changes to their work contracts."

About 90 per cent of the 8,000-strong workforce are contractual workers with a promised salary of Rs 16,000 per month for an 8-hour work shift. But over the last few months, many were being paid only Rs 12,000 and were also told to work for 12 hours a day. People who complained to the management were arbitrarily fired,” the source added.

A source said that most of the workforce dispersed after police allegedly lathi-charged the protesters. Some 60 to 70 employees have been caught by police and have been badly beaten.

M D Harigovind, General Secretary of the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) charged Wistron with exploitative practices. “The industrial violence in Wistron is a direct result of the brutal exploitation of workers and sweatshop-like conditions created by a company, manufacturing the most expensive mobile phones. The state government has allowed the company to flout the basic rights of the workers like payment of wages and working hours. In the absence of any regulation, anarchy has prevailed,” he alleged.

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Udupi: Student slips down while boarding moving train, rescued by woman constable

News Network

September 20,2024

Udupi: A vigilant Railway Protection Force (RPF) constable, Aparna K T, demonstrated remarkable presence of mind when she rescued a student who slipped while trying to board a moving train at Udupi Railway Station on Friday morning.

The incident occurred as passenger train number 06602 arrived at the station around 7:30 AM. The student, traveling from Mangaluru to Gokarna, had briefly alighted to purchase snacks. However, as the train began moving, she hurried back towards the carriage with the snacks in hand. In her rush, she lost her footing, slipping dangerously between the platform and the moving train.

Woman constable Aparna K T was given a cash reward of Rs 5000.

Constable Aparna, who had been closely monitoring the passengers, immediately sprang into action. “I saw her running towards the train and alerted everyone by blowing my whistle. She slipped, and her legs were caught between the platform and the train. Without hesitation, I pulled her out with the help of others nearby,” she recalled.

Thanks to Aparna’s quick thinking and the swift response of the railway staff, the train was stopped in time. Railway personnel, including the guard and loco pilot, were immediately informed, and they acted promptly to halt the train using both flag signals and a walkie-talkie.

RPF Inspector Madhusoodhanan PV arrived at the scene shortly after to check on the passenger's condition. The shaken but uninjured student was given water and helped back onto the train to safely continue her journey.

In an added measure of care, the RPF post at Bhatkal was notified to follow up on the passenger’s well-being during her journey. The student, fortunately, reached her destination without further incident.

The heroic rescue was captured on CCTV and has since gone viral on social media, earning widespread praise. In recognition of her bravery, Regional Railway Manager (RRM) Karwar awarded Constable Aparna a cash reward of ₹5,000, commending her quick action that averted a potentially tragic accident.

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