More than 450 workers and their families staged demonstrations outside Hindustan Unilever headquarters in Mumbai on Friday. This protest is called by Hindustan Unilever Employees Federation. The workers are from the Amli and Dapada factories.

The workers are protesting on a whole host of issues including low wages. They claim that the wages received by them are not on par with those received by their peers at Nestle and Colgate . Workers further allege that no compensation was paid after an accident at the company’s Kodaikanal factory in 2003.

Workers also say that all efforts to unionise are always met with hostile reaction from the management and alleged the management of creating sponsored unions with whom settlements are reached and these terms of settlements are forced upon the workers. The workers demand that this victimization must stop.

HUL management on its part told CNBC-TV18 that it has always encouraged unions and that it always leaves it upto the workers to decide whether to join a particular union. They say the company is following the due process for discussions with the unions and will continue to engage with the workers to resolve the issue.