PARADIP: Around 2,000 workers staged a protest near the Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) refinery in Paradip on Tuesday demanding settlement of their long-pending dues, wage revision, and other benefits.
The agitation intensified after police detained around 45 workers and union leaders, who later launched a hunger strike on the Paradip Lock police station premises. The workers, under the banner of Paradip Port and Dock Mazdoor Union, began their agitation outside the refinery gate in the morning, alleging that the company management was ignoring their legitimate demands despite repeated appeals.
The workers claimed they had been pressing for settlement of their demands, but a meeting between the company management and union leaders on Monday failed to yield any breakthrough.
They further stated that members of land-loser families have been employed as contractual workers in various departments of the IOCL refinery for several years. Their wages and benefits, including Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF), Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) and canteen facilities, which should be reviewed every two years through settlements with the company, had expired, but the IOCL management had failed to address their demands.
A worker, Ashok Ranajaya, said nearly 2,200 workers had intensified their agitation since October 21 to press for various demands, including renewal of the settlement. “The management assured us that our issues would be resolved by October 24. However, no discussion on the settlement was held. Instead of addressing our demands, IOCL officials tried to persuade us to call off the agitation,” he said.
Ranajaya also alleged that around three months ago, IOCL had assured the workers that their grievances would be resolved in the presence of additional district magistrate Niranjan Behera, which yielded no result.
Sources in IOCL said the agitation had not affected production at the Paradip refinery. They said discussions were held between company officials and union leaders to resolve the issues, but no breakthrough had been achieved till the evening. The agitation continued when reports last came in.
Paradip DSP Rabindra Kumar Patra said the detained workers and union leaders were taken to Paradip Lock police station for allegedly blocking the road. “We are maintaining a strict vigil to prevent any untoward incident,” he added.
