Who: Geeta Press
What: announced its lockout for an indefinite period
When: 16 December 2014
Why: talks between its management and employees over wage issues failed
The historic Geeta Press on 16 December 2014 announced its lockout for an indefinite period after talks between its management and employees over wage issues failed.
Background
The workers at the press had been demanding higher wages and medical benefits from the management. The situation went out of control in the last one month when the employees protested against the management.
The employees of the Press have resorted to dharna since 3 December 2014 and were not allowing others to work which affected the work.
Presently 185 permanent and 300 contractual employees are working at the Geeta Press, a 90-year-old publication.
About Geeta press
• Geeta press was founded in 1923 by Jaya Dayal Goyandka for promoting the principles of Sanatana Dharma by propagating the holy scripture Bhagavath Gita.
• Geeta press is a unit of Kolkata-based Gobind Bhawan Karyalaya registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 (presently governed by the West Bengal Societies Act, 1961).
• Over the years, the press has made available more than 370 million copies of the Gita, Ramayan, Bhagvat, Durga Saptashati, Puranas, Upanishads and Bhakta-Gathas in more than ten languages including Sanskrit, Hindi and English.