PARADIP: Activists of Eastern Odisha Industrial Sharmik Sangh staged a demonstration and blocked the road near the main gate of Paradeep Phosphate Limited protesting the engagement of workers of a different contract agency for loading gypsums and bagging plants. While the old agency workers used to get less remuneration, those with the new agency are reportedly being paid more.
On that day, around 150 workers and employees failed to join duty due to the closure of the main gate of PPL. Hundreds of youths of the Sangh have been working as contractual workers under one agency which has now been replaced with another. “Our workers are getting only `10,000 for working five hours but workers of the other are getting `30,000 to `50,000 for working four hours. Overtime and night allowance are never paid,” the activists of the Sangh alleged.
Vice President of Sharmik Sangh Manas Parida said they have submitted a memorandum with a 16-point charter of demands to PPL authority but none has been fulfilled. “We will intensify our stir if our demands are not met,” he said.