Big Bazaar to retain 100 sacked staff

The Future group promoted retail chain, Big Bazaar, has decided to retain over 100 employees it had recently fired citing surplus manpower, following an uproar created by labour unions and employees. “They are additional employees but we have to retain them though it is difficult for us. The employees will be deployed in our outlets in and around Mumbai and Gujarat within the next five to six working days,” Pantaloon Retail India Ltd Head- operations (West) Sadashiv Naik said. The announcement follows days after employees and Shiv Sena-controlled labour union, Bhartiya Kamgar Sena (BKS) held protest against sacking of those employees. The move led to closure of Big Bazaar outlets in Mulund, and Lower Parel from morning till 5 in the evening while Kandivili store was closed for an hour in between. When contacted, company officials declined to comment on the financial losses that it suffered as a result of the protests. It’s perceived that losses could be close to 40-50% of the daily turnover of these stores. Big Bazaar, the hypermarket format of Pantaloon Retail (India) Limited, employs close to 17,000 people in its stores across the country. The company plans to open six stores in the coming year in and around Mumbai, including two at Santacruz, two in Navi Mumbai, one each in Malad and Bhayander. Asked where these employees are going to be reinstated, Naik said, “We will be recruiting them in the stores in and around Mumbai and Gujarat as soon as possible,” adding that problems stem from mall developers’ inability to handover possession to Big Bazaar at the promised time

Courtesy: EconomicTimes
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