NHPC contractual workers suspend stir after discussions

A CORRESPONDENT

LAKHIMPUR: The authority of NHPC Limited has once again taken time to fulfil the demand raised by the Contract Basis Workers' Union (CBWU) of Subansiri Lower Hydroelectric Project (SLHP) to regularize the jobs of 284 contract basis workers from the State of Assam working in the project at Gerukamukh of the Dhemaji district more than 21 years. However, the NHPC Limited has promised hold talks between the CBWU and Chairman-cum-Managing Director of NHPC and the Director of the project regarding the issue within a short span of time. NHPC Limited made this promise during a two-day-long discussion with CBWU under the mediation of the Deputy Chief Labour Commissioner (C) SK R Roy at the Administrative Building of the office of the Executive Director, SLHP, Gerukamukh.

It may be mentioned that CBWU of NHPC Limited was once again compelled to initiate a series of agitational programmes against NHPC Limited from April 5 to demand the job security of the contract basis workers working at SLHP. NHPC Limited has not regularized their jobs till date despite consecutive prayers and petitions, protest programmes and several series of talks held with the authority of the power generating corporation. In support of the demand, CBWU conducted an extensive postering campaign on April 5 and April 6 in several districts of the State. Then the organization demonstrated protest by wearing black badges on April 7 and April 8. On the other hand, the organization was scheduled to stage boycott on April 19 and April 20, sit-in strike on April 21, hunger strike on April 22 and April 23 and total sine-die non-cooperation from April 25.

Amid such an agitational environment, NHPC Limited again invited the CBWU for talk, which was held on April 13 under the mediation of the Deputy Chief Labour Commissioner (C) at Kendriya Shram Sodan, RK Mission Road, Birubari, Guwahati. The invitation was sent to the organization through a letter (No. G/R 8(08)/2022-Dy CLC(C) dated 05/04/2022). During the talks on that day, Monuj Kumar, Sr. Mgr (HR) and RC Das, DGM (HR) represented the NHPC Limited. CBWU took part in the talks by calling off their series of agitation. But the talks held on that day ended in smoke without any resolution regarding the job regularization of the contract basis workers due to lack of any positive steps on the part of the NHPC Limited. At this, CBWU expressed vehement resentment against the power generating corporation and decided to resume their agitation from April 20 after going back to Gerukamukh.

However, SK Roy, the Deputy Chief Labour Commissioner (C) took an initiative to continue the talks between NHPC Limited and CBWU once again at SLHP site on April 21. Then he sent a letter (No. G/R. 8(08)/2022-Dy.CLC) to the Executive Director of SLHP and the president and secretary of CBWU. As per the initiative of the Deputy Chief Labour Commissioner (C), the discussion between NHPC and CBWU once again held at the Administrative Building of the office of the Executive Director, SLHP Gerukamukh on the designated day.

"On 21 April, the discussion between the authority of NHPC Limited continued till 8:00 pm from 2:30 pm. During the discussion, the authority of NHPC Limited attempted before the Deputy Chief Labour Commissioner (C) to prove the contract basis workers as "not the employees of NHPC". But the representatives of CBWU rebutted the arguments of the NHPC Limited with adequate proof. AS such, the high-level officers of NHPC Limited and the lawyers engaged by the authority could not take any decision regarding the demand. As a result, the discussion was once again held on April 22 from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm. On that day too, the authority stated before the Deputy Chief Labour Commissioner that there was no ground to regularize the jobs of the contract basis workers. CBWU strongly opposed to the statement made by the authority of NHPC again. Then the Deputy Chief Labour Commissioner (C) interrogated Manas Ranjan Bhui, the Sr. Manager of Mechanical Division, about the status of the contract basis workers. He admitted that he had supervised the duties of the contract basis workers working under him in his division against various permanent posts. "His statement brought the authority of the NHPC Limited to a perplexed condition" stated a press release sent to media by CBWU president Premeswar Saikia and secretary Johny Pegu regarding the discussion.

CBWU has condemned the act on the part of the NHPC authority to establish the contract basis workers as "not the employees of NHPC" by producing "false data about them". The organization asked the authority not to indulge in such activities in the upcoming days. During the discussion, the organization reiterated its demand to regularize the jobs of 284 contract basis workers of the SLHP like the employees of Kurishu Project in Bhutan and the Lugtuk Project of Manipur.

"Our organization will resume the agitation at any time if the authority of NHPC does not solve the issue of regularizing the job of the contract basis workers of SLHP through fruitful talks. Only the authority of NHPC Limited will be responsible for this," the president and the secretary of CBWU declared through the same press release.

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