KORAPUT: Demanding minimum wages as per labour norms, workers of Kodingamali bauxite mine, under the banner of Kodingamali Khani Shramik Sangathan, took to the protest route by staging dharna in front of the Collectorate here on Thursday after talks among various stakeholders remained inconclusive on Wednesday.
The mine has been subleased to Mythri Infra Ltd by Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC). The workers said Mythri Infra does not pay them wages as per mining sector norms.
Nahum Goroda, a local engineering graduate said he has been working at the mine since its inception without appointment letter and with a salary of Rs 11,000 per month. "The company must keep the promises it made to locals before starting work on the mines at the Palli Sabha," he said.
The firm had committed to hire 70 per cent of locals but workers alleged it has engaged most of its workers, both skilled and unskilled from Andhra Pradesh. "Neither the district administration nor Labour department are bothered about plight of workers at Kodingamali," said Goroda.
Labour leader Debodhar Bagh said when the workers demanded their legitimate right of getting paid as per minimum wages fixed for mine workers by the Central government, 34 of them were transferred to the company’s uranium mine at Jamshedpur in December last.
"When the workers apprised the Collector Madhusudan Mishra of the matter on January 4, they were not allowed to work at the mining site," he alleged, adding a few of the company's employees tried to disrupt the tripartite meeting.
The district administration convened a tripartite meeting of OMC, Mythri Infra Ltd and mines workers on January 27. Talks continued for four hours but failed as representatives of Mythri Infra reportedly denied to engage workers in mines division rather opting for transport division.
The mines labourers did not agree with the proposal. Bagh even alleged that a section of non-labourers attempted to foil the meeting at Sub Collector’s office. Sub-Collector Lalit Kuanr and OMC regional manager Hemant Kumar Singh could not be contacted for their comments on the issue.