RAICHUR: Irked by the alleged adamant stance being taken by Hutti Gold Mines Company Limited against approving revised wages of workers, the elected labour union is planning to launch a protest.
Failure by the company’s management to address the issue may even result in temporary closure of India’s only operational gold mine.
The elected workers union, the Trade Union Centre of India, has issued a protest notice to the management of Hutti Gold Mines, a Karnataka government undertaking company.
The 14-day notice says that if the management fails to approve the revised wage, the workers will launch an agitation from November 23 to 27, when over 3,500 workers of company will stage day and night protest in shifts to ensure that mines remain in operation.
However, if the wage is not revised even after this protest, all the labourers will go on indefinite strike, boycotting work. This will force the mines to shut down. The General Manager of Hutti, Prabhakar S, told The New Indian Express that the management is making all efforts to meet the workers’ demand.
The previous five-year wage agreement between the management and labourers, signed in the presence of Regional Labour Commissioner, Ballari, a central government officer, ended on March 31, 2016.
This is a tripartite agreement made under Section 12(3) read with 18(3) of the Industrial Dispute s Act.
Workers of the Mines say that although the charter of demand for revised wage was given to the board of the mines on April 1, 2016 itself, the company has not approved it so far, leading to anger and frustration among them.