Contract workers back to duty after NLC strike ends

Company agrees to hike wages of unskilled worhers by Rs 110 a day, offers higher pay to semi skilled and highly skilled

With the 52-day long strike of the contract labourers coming to a settlement on Friday night, Navaratna company Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) is expected to improve its operations gradually over the next few days.

The production, affected by the strike and the heavy rains in the past days, is expected to go back to normal, from around 1,200-1,300 MW at present, said company sources. The company has a capacity to produce around 2,740 MW.

The development comes after the strike by the contract workers, started in the beginning of September, was called off on Friday night, with an agreement reached between Joint Action Council of the 10 labour unions and the NLC management in a marathon meeting of over 10 hours.

According to union sources, the company has agreed to increase the wages of the unskilled labourers adding almost Rs 110 a day from Rs 370 per day and higher salaries to semi skilled and highly skilled manpower. The other allowances apart from the basic salary has also been increased, they added. This was agreed after several talks between the management and the unions in the presence of the labour department officials failed in the past weeks.

An agreement would be signed between the management and the workers in a meeting scheduled next week, said another union official.