FITE supports NLC Workers Strike

FITE supports NLC Workers Strike

Neyveli Lignite Corporation is one of the profit making public sector company with year on year growth around Rs.1500 Crores. It involves in Coal Mining and Power generation with the capacity of 2490MW.

Wage Revision for Workers is implemented once in five years. The last revision was between 1 Jan 2007 to 31 Dec 2011.So,the wage settlement is due from 1 Jan 2012. There are many protests, tri-partite settlement talks with NLC Management,Workers and Labor Commissioner but all the talks ended inconclusive.The leading unions have kept demand of 24% hike in their salaries.But the NLC Chairman B.Surendhar Mohan says “Expectation of Workers are more” despite the fact that Rs.1500 Crores year on year profit is because of more than 20,000 hard working laborers.

Hence decision to go on strike was taken by Joint Action Council of the trade unions including CITU, INTUC, DTUC, AITUC, DMK and AIDMK Unions to pressurize the management to come for amicable solution to their wage revision demand. NLC management filed writ petition in Madras High Court and got the order to restrain the workers going in strike on June 29, 2015.

Knowing the fact that the delayed process of judiciary system and less protective labor laws, the unions decided to proceed with strike. Initially 12,000 permanent workers started the indefinite strike on July 20,2015 night. NLC Management filed a contempt petition on July 28,2015 and the Madras High Court declared the strike is illegal and asked the management to take disciplinary action including eight days salary cut for each of the strike day.

Following this, NLC management citing several reasons including spearheading last year strike by Contract Workers, the President of NLC Workers Progressive Union was dismissed from the company. Now,around 10,500 contract Workers have also joined the strike.Coal Mining and Power generation of 2490 MW is expected to be severely affected.

After the last settlement talk in Neyveli failed on 13 Aug 2015, all the unions unitedly announced an indefinite hunger strike in INTUC union office premises. They boycotted the Independence Day celebration at NLC campus. Neyveli Traders and auto drivers unions announced their support and Traders have gone for shutdown protest. The NLC Workers strike is now intensified. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister have expressed her concern via letter once.

Large number of police forces are deployed in Neyveli.

Forum for IT Employees(FITE), a Trade Union for IT and ITES Employees, views NLC Workers demand is justifiable. The profit in any Industry must be shared to workers in an appropriate manner.

FITE demands,

  • Tamil Nadu Chief Minister to pressurize the Central Government for immediate intervention.
  • Prime Minister to intervene in NLC Workers wage revision issue immediately and settle the issue amicably.

We know the pain of discrimination and lack of transparency in salary hike,promotion etc in IT Industry and delayed process of judiciary in resolving labor issues. FITE, on behalf of IT &ITES employees, stands in support to the demands of fellow trade unions fighting for NLC workers’ rights.