Arun Singh
Early Times Report
Jammu, Nov 4: The Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), Jammu, has abruptly disengaged 46 employees who were working for the last more than four decades in its store at Narwal.
The disengagement of the employees, who were working as labourers, followed their constant demands for implementation of minimum wages as per Central Labour Act, 1948.
"The SAIL being a government of India enterprise, were demanding our wages as per Central Labour Act, but the adamant management denied the same on one pretext or the other, which is a violation of the Act and we were being paid as per State Labour Act," said Ramesh Lal, one of the ousted labourers.
The labourers, who were ousted, said that most of them had been working for the last four decades. "Most of the labourers are locals and have spent their lifetime in the company. They were abruptly thrown out under a well-knit conspiracy by the management only to deny them their genuine rights," sources said.
"In order to execute its wicked plan, the management first disengaged the contractor under whom these labourers were working for the last 40 years and brought in new contractor hailing from New Delhi who refused to work with the existing labourers and asked them to leave from November 1. It was actually the plan of management so that it had not to pay enhanced wages to the labourers," sources said.
As per State Wage Act they were being paid Rs 150 per day while as per the Central Labour Act the minimum wage has been fixed Rs 350. Besides, the Employees Provident Fund had been deducted from their wages regularly and they were covered under Employees State Insurance.
Apart from the loading, unloading work which is unskilled nature of job, they were given skilled work by the management. "After lodging the protest against the management, we have apprehension that management will use police force against us to dispel the protest by using its influence," the labourers said.
They said a case in this connection had already been running in Regional Labour Commissioner Office and awaiting its verdict, the management played foul with the labourers threw them out of the job. |
