Angul, Nov. 18: Ceasework by Nalco contractual workers continued for the third day today following the failure of tripartite talks on Thursday.
While contractual workers trade union leaders claimed that there had been an impact on the production of aluminium in smelter and power output in captive power plant, the authorities said everything was so far normal.
The deputy central chief labour commissioner had called a meeting of Nalco management, contractual workers and trade union leaders yesterday to find out a settlement but his efforts failed to yield any result. General secretary of Nalco Thika Majdoor Sangh Rabindra Behura blamed the management for the breakdown of talks as the company refused to consider their demand on minimum wage and canteen allowances.
The Nalco managerial sources, however, said that Nalco was the highest payer to contract workers among the public sector units in the state. Earlier Nalco’s hike of Rs 4 on minimum daily wages enhancing it to Rs 199 per day and also a hike in canteen allowances by Rs 2 daily were rejected by the workers. The contract workers stuck to their demand of Rs 100 as canteen allowance per day and enhancement of minimum wage to Rs 10,400 per month.
The ceasework by 12,000 strong contractual workers in all the four production units at Angul and Koraput has hit productions.
The contractual workers’ trade unions coordination committee president Rajiv Jena said: “Both in power and smelter plant here, the output have been hit by the strike. Coal unloading in power plant and supply to smelter has come to a grinding halt as the casual workers stayed out of work. The Nalco authorities have scaled down the power output from two of the running seven units in captive power plant. Smelter carbon plant and cast house sections have been badly hit by the strike.”
Commenting on the impact of the strike a top official of Nalco here said: “So far no substantial impact has been felt and production at the both the plants here are by and large normal. We are utilising the coal stock at the power plant to run it. But some areas have been certainly affected, when about 5,000 workers engaged in both the plant here went on strike.”
There would be another round of talks on November 22, which would be conducted by the chief labour commissioner to sort out problems between Nalco and its contractual workers, said an official source.