FACT United Employees Liberation has issued a strike notice at FACT, warning of a two-day work stoppage on the 26th and 27th over unresolved disputes concerning shift allowance and promotions at the company’s Kalamassery facility in Ernakulam district.
The union reportedly submitted the notice to FACT management and the Central Deputy Labour Commissioner. It said that an indefinite strike would begin from December 1 if the issues are not resolved before then.
According to general secretary T.V. Sujith, the union decided to serve the notice after repeated letters and several protest actions failed to secure consideration of its demands. The reported disputes include the payment of shift allowance and the implementation of a promotion policy for employees.
The union has alleged that promotions have been blocked for employees who joined after 2008. According to Sujith, the management has cited the absence of a promotion policy for workers appointed after that year as the reason for withholding promotions.
The notice places the dispute within the formal labour-relations process, with the Central Deputy Labour Commissioner among the authorities receiving the communication. The supplied report does not specify whether management has issued a response, whether conciliation proceedings have begun, or whether the proposed stoppage will affect particular production units or shifts.
The immediate issue for FACT will be whether the two-day strike can be avoided through discussions with the union and the labour authorities. If the dispute remains unresolved, the union has warned that the action could continue indefinitely from December 1. The source report does not provide further details on the number of employees represented by the union, the estimated operational impact or the status of negotiations.
The dispute also highlights the administrative importance of workplace policies at large industrial facilities. Shift allowances govern compensation for employees working outside standard hours, while promotion rules determine how career progression is handled across different joining cohorts. In this case, the union’s allegations centre on the reported absence of a promotion framework for employees who joined after 2008.
FACT management’s position on the allegations was not included in the supplied report. The next developments will depend on discussions involving the management, the union and the Central Deputy Labour Commissioner before the proposed strike dates and the December 1 deadline for indefinite action.
