BERHAMPUR: Disgruntled over the denial of compassionate appointment by IREL to kin of deceased workers who died on duty, family members sat on dharna in front of the unit at Matikhala in Ganjam on Tuesday to reiterate their demands.
Family members of around 47 workers who died on duty at IREL, announced to stage indefinite dharna in protest of the authorities’ denial of compassionate appointment to the next of kin of the deceased employees.
Speaking to mediapersons, the agitators alleged that though appointment of dependent legal heirs of the deceased workers is legally permissible, the IREL authorities are willfully ignoring the claims.
They said the management of IREL and the representatives of the employees’ union had entered into a tripartite settlement under section 12 (3) of industrial dispute act-1947 under the process of conciliation proceeding before the asst labour commissioner (central) relating to appointments to be made under compassionate appointment ground.
However, the IREL authorities suddenly stopped the compassionate appointments with effect from 2002.
They informed that the families had staged dharna at OSCOM in 2015 after which the management began appointment again in 2016-17 but the case of 47 families is still pending as a result of which they are leading miserable lives.
“We pray the management to consider our pending cases sympathetically and share the families’ suffering and their search for bread for livelihood. For more than a decade, our legitimate claim has been ignored by the management,” the agitators rued.
The agitators also appealed the Ganjam collector to look into their demands and threatened of intensifying the stir if their demands are not met. IREL sources said the authorities have been informed of the agitation and necessary instruction is awaited.