Post News Network
Joda, Feb 28: Labour unrest has plagued a contractual firm engaged by Tata Steel in a project near Joda East Bungalow, Saturday, here. Over a
hundred workers working under the Delhi-based contractual firm Siemens trooped to the office of Joda Central Organisation of the domestic steel giant to lodge their complaints over some issues against the company.
Over 300 workers have been engaged by the company in its mining project. The workers brought a host of allegations against the company like non-payment of general provident fund and
overtime work.
They also accused the company of pay low wages and not clearing the final payments to workers who leave the
company.
Rajesh Das of Azad Slum, Budhiram Bag of Ulli Hutting and Mohammed Safique said that the company has been claiming to deposit the GPF money online, but the workers are not getting it.
Nandakishore Behera and Laxman Nayak, who work as electricians, lamented that they are paid low wages by
Siemens and if someone complains about this, he is abused and threatened by the officials.
Karmu Lohar and Ramsingh Tiria alleged that the company is forcing them to work till midnight, but they are not paid the payment for the overtime work. They also said that the company officials are threatening workers not to vent their gripe before media.
When our correspondent sought to know the reaction of the contractual company officials about the barrage of complaints, the latter showed anger at media persons and left the place in a huff. Later, Corporate communications officer of Tata Steel Amlan Das told media that the issues raised by the
contractual workers will be discussed at a meeting of Tata Steel and Siemens.
Notably, contractual workers engaged in Tata Steel’s Katamati mine had staged a sit-in protest on various demands January 19. Besides, some staff engaged in gardening work on contract had also staged a dharna demanding clearance of their pending dues. Such protests have established the fact that labour unrest has gripped the contractual firms engaged by Tata Steel.
