Jajpur: Tension flared up on premises of the state-owned Nilachal Ispat Nigam Ltd (NINL) which is lying closed in this district, as workers stopped transport of stocked goods from the plant premises, protesting the long-pending pay revision and promotion, Sunday.
Workers held the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) and Minerals and Metals Trading Corporation (MMTC) responsible for such development.
Kalinganagar Shramik Sangha (KSS), a leading trade union in the area, alleged that due to whimsical attitude of these two organisations, their pay revision has not been done.
The trade union leaders have submitted a memorandum to Tuhinkanta Pandey, secretary, finance of the Union Government.
In the memorandum, the trade union leaders have alleged that the DIPAM and MMTC in connivance with some private firms have jointly stopped the longstanding pay revision and promotion of the workers and officials of the NINL.
They alleged that DIPAM is unnecessarily interfering in the management of the NINL. They claimed that the NINL is a separate firm where its managing committee looks after the wellbeing of the company officials and workers.
It has been confirmed from a reply given by Union Minister of State (Finance) Bhagawat Kishan Rao Karad in the Parliament to a starred question of MP Manoj Kumar Jha.
The minister has said that the NINL managing committee is only authorised to look into the problems of workers and find solution to them. However, the DIPAM which is under the Union Finance Ministry is unnecessarily interfering in the affairs of the NINL.
The workers have alleged the Finance Ministry has not given the NINL even a rupee, but it is interfering in its day-today affairs on the insistence of some private firms.
PNN