RELIANCE RETAIL WAREHOUSE EMPLOYEES DEMONSTRATE IN FRONT OF SHARMA BHAVAN IN BHUBANESWAR. PICTURE BY ASHWINEE PATI

Bhubaneswar, April 18: A section of Reliance retail warehouse employees today lodged a complaint with the state labour commissioner against their employers, accusing the latter of forcing them to work on low wages.

The employees, who submitted a memorandum to the commissioner, also alleged that they were not being given receipts with regard to the deductions of employees’ provident fund. The workers are attached to the company’s warehouse at Pahala on the outskirts of the city.

“After we joined, we were told that Rs 300 would be cut from our salary. But they did not give us any proof of the money deducted though they were cutting the amount from our salaries. We have been complaining to our seniors. But no one paid heed as yet,” said Amit Pani, an employee.

The employees said that they had stopped work at the warehouse for the last six days protesting against the shoddy treatment accorded to them by the authorities.

“We are paid little. Our daily income is less than a daily wage labourer’s earning. Besides, they force us to work overtime and pay nothing for it,” said Amulya Sahu, another employee.

These employees have complained against the manager of the warehouse and the contractor about the mismanagement of their provident fund.

The employees even complained of misbehaviour by the authorities. “We are not given any leave. The authorities use abusive languages for our slightest of mistakes. If we protest, they take the help of police without trying to sort out the problem,” alleged these workers adding that there were more than 40 employees and the authorities sacked some of them without any reason.

They gave a memorandum to labour commissioner Alekh Chandra Padhihari who assured them to take steps on this matter. The officials of the labour commission said that they had got a written complaint in which the employees had written about not getting their provident fund money. They were told to approach the employee’s provident fund commissioner.

The employees said that they later met with the provident fund commissioner who assured them to take steps and said that he would call the company officials to discuss the matter.

The company authorities, however, refused to talk to media on this regard.