The strike by over 12,000 contract workers at Neyveli Lignite Corporation will continue as the management and union representatives failed to arrive at a compromise in the talks mediated by the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment.
P Thirumavalavan, of the DMK-led Labour Progressive Federation, told media persons the management had declined to accede to any of the six demands including absorption as permanent employees, wage hike, bonus and housing facilities. Ten unions had participated in the talks in the office of the Deputy Chief Labour Commissioner. There had been no progress in the discussions and the strike which started on September 3 will continue.
The unions announce plans to intensify the agitation tomorrow.
N. Balaji, General Manager – Human Resources, NLC, who was one of the three officials from the central public sector enterprise, said the management is clear that the workers should give up the agitation before any discussions can happen.
The unions’ action is not justified on several grounds – NLC is public utility, the Madras High Court last week has restrained the unions against going on strike and these unions had in a previous settlement in 2010 had committed to the Chief Labour Commissioner not to raise wage related demands till October 2015.
On the regularisation of employees, the management was following the guidelines of the Supreme Court ruling in April 2013 with a seniority list of contract labourers being finalised, he said.