Factory shut, 50 workers stare at uncertain future
Times of India | 21 February 2025
123 Kolkata: The waterlogged entry gate to the 21 Seal Lane factory, which brought affluence to Tangra's Dey family for the past two and a half decades before a financial crisis hit them, was locked even as the machines were in utter neglect the entire Thursday.
Around 50 workers of this Protective Leather Gloves Private Limited Factory are now staring at an uncertain future as its owners, brothers Pranay Dey and Prasun Dey, are presently in hospital, while three other members of the family died. The brothers may face investigations on charges of murder.
Out of these 50 workers, 27 are permanent. Despite worker retrenchment, especially after the end of 2023, when the company plunged into further crisis, these men and women, mostly residents of China Bazar, clung on. Several even refused offers from competitors located in the same area. Now they say they have been left in the lurch.
"The owners themselves are not there. We do not know who is in charge in their absence. Cops are already questioning the manager and accountant. We do not even know whether we will receive our dues," said a worker at the NRS Hospital morgue.
Police said the accountant spoke in general about company affairs and could not share the specifics. "We will be speaking to several people even in the factory," said an officer. The cop decision, though, has left the workers worried. "As it is, we do not have a job at present. The last thing we want now is any form of legal harassment," said a worker on condition of anonymity.
According to cops, in 2023-24, the Dey family renewed their trade licences for the last time. Their factory had two licences. According to civic body sources, they have not renewed them since 2024-25. Pranay and Prasun reportedly informed the civic body that they were financially devastated, which is why they could not continue operating it.
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