NHPC’s contract workers vent grievances to DM, win assurances of improvements in working conditions

TERMINATION OF ELECTRICIAN SHORT-CIRCUITS FOR NHPC, LEADS WORKERS TO SIT ON DHARNA, ATTRACTS ATTENTION OF SOUTH DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION, EXPOSES DENIALS AND HURTS

NAMCHI, 06 May: A direct result of the 2-day bandh called by the ruling party to highlight labour rights has been the empowerment of workers who have since then been more expressive in getting themselves heard and demanding better working arrangements. The latest manifestation of this forcefulness was seen at the District Administrative Centre here today where more than 200 contract workers engaged at the Rangeet Nagar power station by the NHPC trooped today to get their demands heard and stared down the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation to heed their demands.
The flashpoint was the Rangeet HEP power station at Hingdam, South Sikkim, which follows the roundly criticised practise of hiring its workforce via a labour contractor. The spark was the termination of the services, “without any valid reasons” the protesting workers insist, of one Om Prakash, an electrician employed on contract basis by the NHPC. Protesting this issue, the workers began a dharna on 02 May at the power station, and weaved around the termination incident, listed out 11 demands enumerating denials they have been suffering for a long while now.
These demands were submitted to the NHPC Chief Engineer, Rangeet Nagar Power Station, the next day, 03 May.
When the deadlock showed no signs of approaching a resolution, the District Magistrate [South], AK Singh, called a hearing today to bring both sides to the discussion table.

The hearing was held at DAC conference hall here and was attended by Chief Engineer Rangeet Nagar Power Station, Alok Kumar, and his officers, vice president All Sikkim Democratic Labour Front, BM Ramudamu, general secretary Norzang Lepcha, ASDLF’s West district president [the dam is located in West Sikkim and the power station in South], Deo Man Subba, ASDLF’s Rangeet Nagar unit president, Asish Rai, vice-president Puran Rai and advisor BB Gurung along with the around 200 protesting contract workers.
The demands the workers have raised are:
1. Timely payment of salaries by R&M contractors
2. Removal of R&M contractors as middle-men with immediate effect
3. Contractors vague regarding EPF
4. Medical facilities and safety equipment
5. Over-Time facilities
6. Payment of minimum wages of not less than Rs. 300 per day
7. Bonus facilities
8. Granting of leave during emergencies
9. Individual Insurance facilities for workers.
10. No sudden termination of staff and
11. Maternity leave for women workers.
The meeting started with the DM directing the NHPC Chief Engineer to give point-wise replies to the 11 demands placed by the contract workers.
The CE, in reply, assured that salaries would be disbursed on time (by the 7th of every month) if the bills were submitted in time by the labour contractors. He clarified that they would not be able to remove the R&M contractors as they were legally bound to them as per extant rules.
He also informed that as an organisation, they were only allowed to assign work-contracts and not labour contracts.
On this, the DM directed the CE to furnish a copy of these Rules to his office.
Regarding EPF, the CE assured the workers that EPF was being provided to the workers by the Contractors. The DM directed the NHPC officials to check the status of EPF and blacklist the contractors who were not extending this facility to the workers.
The onus of providing medical facilities was fixed on the R&M contractors by the CE. The DM directed the hydel corporation officials to ensure that proper and adequate medical facilities were being provided to all the workers and take strict action against those contractors who were not complying with this service condition.
On Over-Time as well, the CE shifted the blame to the contractors and said this was not the look-out of the NHPC because the workers were under the employ of the contractors.
When the DM questioned the CE about the non-payment of OT dues, he assured that if this was the case, the same would be deducted from the bills of the contractors and released to the workers. He also said that no complaints of this nature had been received in the past.
The DM instructed the CE to appoint a nodal officer to handle all administrative grievances and problems of the workers.
With regard to the payment of minimum wages, the CE apprised the DM that the Central and the State minimum wages were taken into consideration and the higher of the two was being paid to the workers but it was not fixed at Rs.300. Any hike in wages above this was paid as per the performance of the workers, he added.
The CE also assured the DM that festival bonus facilities were being provided to the workers and that his office had not received any demand for bonuses in the past.
Granting of leave to workers was also the responsibility of the R&M contractors, the CE explained. The DM directed that medical leave in case of emergencies should be granted without any conditions.
Regarding individual insurance for workers, the CE stated that group insurance was being provided by the contractors to the workers.
The issue of sudden termination was also the decision of the contractors, the CE clarified. He stated that the R&M contractors employed these workers and not the NHPC management. The DM categorically stated that that termination of workers should be justifiable and not be done to harass workers.
The Labour representative who addressed the hearing next denied the statements of the CE and said that all the statements made by Chief Engineer was just a formal commitments made in front of the DM and would not be implemented.
They said that they had never received any bonus till date nor have they been provided any information regarding their EPF dues. They added that when they tried to approach the Chief Engineer with these demands and grievances in the past, they were not even allowed to enter the office and were told to go their work site as the office would not listen to their demands.
Not convinced with the verbal assurance of the Chief Engineer, the workers demanded the CE record these in writing.
Regarding the issue of using R&M Contractors to meet the manpower requirements, the workers demanded that this system be removed forthwith in keeping with the policy of state government.
They also alleged that the CE was shifting the blame of termination from service on the concerned contractor, insisting that in reality, the termination was ordered by an NHPC officer. The CE and other NHPC officials at the hearing had no answer for this.
Besides the 11-point demand, many other grievances which the workers have been nursing were also vented today. The lady workers accused the management of harassment, alleging that they were subjected to abusive language and rude conduct.
Some women workers even accused the management, even naming an officer, of engaging them as domestic servants instead of deploying them on site. Such treatment, they said, was unbecoming and exploitative and urged the DM south to intervene into the matter.
The uncaring attitude of the Medical Officer at the NHPC hospital when it came to the healthcare requirements of workers was also alleged at the hearing today and the workers accused the hospital management of issuing medicines past their expiry dates, and even presented specific instances of when this had happened.
The workers also informed the hearing that they were deployed to work under risky conditions without adequate safety equipment.
The DM, after hearing both the sides, stated that these matters could have been easily resolved within the organisation itself if the management had been more considerate. Taking up the grievances seriously, the DM directed Rabongla SDM to form a committee including the area MLA, a representative of ASDLF and the NHPC and enquire into the entire matter in more detail.
The DM gave the NHPC a week to resolve the matter and gave the SDM 15 days to submit his findings. He further announced that all the assurances made the CE were recorded by the court and if not implemented, strong action will be taken against the NHPC management. This was greeted with a loud applause by the workers.
The SDM has also been directed to visit the NHPC office immediately and check the EPF records and to find out the reason why receipts and information were not being shared with the workers.
Further, the DM directed the CE to constitute a special committee to keep watch against harassment at the workplace. The committee comprising of the area MLA and representatives of both sides and the SDM Ravangla as member secretary will also monitor whether the NHPC was meeting local employment guarantee requirements.
The DM also directed the CE to ensure that individual accident insurance was provided to the workers.
The ASDLF vice president also warned the NHPC not to harass its workers and reiterated the demand for the removal of R&M contractors as middle-men. He thanked DM for taking pro-labour decisions after hearing both the sides today.
Later, outside the DAC premises, the jubilant workers raised slogans cheering ASDLF and the Chief Minister, who is also the ASDLF president.