Ahead of Nooyi visit, Pepsico unit in Sangrur resumes work...

Days ahead of Pepsico president Indra Nooyi's scheduled visit to India, the corporate's Channo-based snack-food manufacturing unit, shut since August 20 because of labour unrest, has reopened following the labour commissioner's brokering peace between the management and labour union.

According to the deal, six suspended workers can rejoin duty on Friday, while the other six would do so the following day.

However, say sources, one worker, who's suspension had triggered the deadlock, will have to wait for two months before joining office. With this, the manufacturing unit will start production from Friday. The problems at the plant had begun long before August, and had led to the suspension of 13 workers.

The labour union had retaliated by laying siege to the factory and the management suspending production. Confirming the deal, BKU president Joginder Singh Ugrahan said, ''The issue has been settled keeping in mind the interests of all sections.''

''It's a step in the right direction,'' added Dhuri-based AP Solvex's MD AR Sharma. The unit used to supply rice bran oil to the Channo Pepsico unit and had been adversely affected by the fallout.

Source: The Times of India