After being locked out for nearly a year following labour trouble, The Calcutta Swimming Club (CSC) is set to reopen in “a couple of days”, according to the management.

“Two of the three staff unions, governing around 70 per cent of the 128 permanent employees, have signed the settlement, and we hope the others will follow suit. We plan to open the gates by this week,” club president Anand Chopra told Metro on Tuesday.

The popular Strand Road club of 1887 vintage declared a lockout on March 13, 2007, after a section of the workers “misbehaved and refused to serve members” on March 3.

The management showcaused and subsequently suspended six employees on allegations of “illegal assembly during duty hours, slogan-shouting and heckling of staff and members” on the premises.

The CSC workers, now fragmented into three units, have since been demanding unconditional lifting of the suspension. But the management, which claimed “total support” from the 2,400-odd active members, maintained a tough position, working out reciprocal arrangements with 12 city clubs.

The message from the management seems to have sunk in. “It’s a matter of great joy for all of us that the club is set to reopen. Striking work is no way to protest,” said Sukumar Das of the CSC Workers’ Union. He is among the 88 workers who have already signed the settlement papers.