THOOTHUKUDI: The contract workers of the Neyveli Tamil Nadu Power Limited (NTPL) withdrew from the 8-day-long agitation after arriving at an agreement with the NTPL management and the contractors in the presence of the Deputy Chief Labour Commissioner and conciliation officer P Arun Kumar in Chennai. Over 1,000 workers who participated in the protest returned to their jobs on Tuesday.
Led by the Tamil Nadu Min Uzhiyar Mathiya Amaippu, the contractual workers stirred an indefinite protest against the management of NTPL and contractors pressing a slew of demands, including wage hike, paid holidays and implementation of DCLC recommendations.
Sources said the representatives of the NTPL management agreed to settle the issue of the paid holiday wages through contractors within 15 days and resolve the EPF deductions amicably with the labour contractors. The annual leave wages will be extended as per the Act.
Moreover, the management will constitute a grievance committee with one petitioner of the labour union being a member to discuss the wages, wage hikes and other issues concerning the welfare of labour. It was assured to address the wage hike demands within 75 days.
The representatives of the management and contractors will discuss the demands regarding bonuses at an appropriate time and the leave related to those who reached the statutory ceiling.
The DCLC directed the NTPL management and the contractors to reinstate two contract workers who were dropped out of service during the Covid-19 period without imposing any penalty and not to penalise the employees who were involved in the strike, sources said.
CITU District Secretary R Russel said the talks were successful as the management and the contractors agreed to consider several demands pressed during the agitation. They also assured not to penalise those who participated in the agitation against the management, he said.