All the 220 workers of Ipca Laboratories Ltd''s Athal (Silvassa) formulations manufacturing unit, which is a predominantly export facility, have gone on a flash illegal strike since September 23, 2002, demanding increase in wages.

This is the first strike in the last one decade, a senior official said here. The unit, which has been approved by the Medicines Control Agency of Great Britain, also manufactures some formulations for the domestic market.

The company management has informed the BSE that it is taking all the necessary steps to end the illegal strike. Should this illegal strike continue, the same will have adverse effect on the company''s production and sales, especially of export formulations and corresponding profitability.

The company''s markets cover over 75 countries - Australia, Canada, Ethiopia, Italy, Russia and other CIS countries, Srilanka, UK, USA etc. More than 50 per cent of Ipca''s Rs 456.7 crore turnover comes from exports of over Rs 231 crore.

Ipca has factories in Kandla, Ratlam and Indore apart from Athal. The company has a total workforce of 2500 including field staff.

The company was given no intimation about the strike, Ipca MD Premchand Godha pointed out and added there are no unions in the factory. He said they were discussing how to end the strike at the unit, which manufactures tablets.

The company is engaged in the manufacture of formulations, active pharmaceutical ingredients (API), and drug intermediates. Its wide product range includes antimalarials, antiemetics, antibiotics, analgesics, antidiabetics, cardiac care products and cough and cold therapy products.