Indian disaster claims settled

Press, 5 December 1985, Page 10

Indian disaster claims settled

NZPA-Reuter =-■ Bhopal Union Carbide’s Indian subsidiary has settled claims by workers £ retrenched from a factory blamed for the leak of poison gas that killed . 2500 people in the world’s worst industrial disaster. 5 :

The settlement between the 627 workers and the subsidiary was the first sign of compromise on compensation issues after methyl v isocyanate leaked from the pesticides factory a year ago. A joint statement said the . workers would get a total of--22.4 million rupees (1NZ3.15 million) for compensation, wages and gratuities due to them since authorities officially shut the plant on July 11. •'

It was announced after a night of angry protests in Bhopal including the burning of effigies of Mr . Warren Anderson, the chairman of the giant American parent company. Compensation just for loss of jobs was set at 6.5 million rupees (SNZI.OS million) or about 10,000 rupees (SNZI7SO) a worker. A Union Carbide spokesman told reporters that under Indian labour legislation the company was entitled to pay the workers a total of 7.5 million rupees (SNZI.O9 million) for wages, gratuities and compensation, one third of the final figure. ... He said the company offered to reopen the seveh-year-old factory and employ-, all the workers in making car batteries and other ducts apart from pesticides. However, the Madhya Pradesh state Government refused to renew a licence to the 250 million rupee ($NZ40.25 million) plant, he said.