BHEL's Tiruchi unit hit by strike

Production at the Tiruchirapalli (Tiruchi) unit of Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) was hit on Monday due to a strike called by workers who are demanding a pay revision.

Though there was an earlier threat of all units in South India — the others are at Chennai and Ranipet in Tamil Nadu, besides Hyderabad and Bangalore — going on strike from today, only the Tiruchi unit has been affected. The earlier threat was given by R Ethiraj, general secretary of the Labour Progressive Front, affiliated to the ruling party here, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.

Around 25,000 workers are employed in the five South Indian units.

According to a senior official from the Tiruchi unit, which produces boilers, only 1,100 of the 6,000 workers reported for the first shift.

“Executives and non-executives are eligible for wage revision with effect from January 1, 2007. The last revision was done in 1997. The trade unions are insisting on a five-year tenure of wage agreement, instead of 10 years, with full fitment benefit,” said another official from the Ranipet unit.

The workers also want that the rate of increment should be a percentage of the basic salary, along with proportionate rise in fringe benefits.

But negotiations are dragging, partly because the two sides have not been able to agree on a rise in basic pay. They have also been unable to agree on the duration of a wage settlement or the tenure during which the agreed structure should exist. The management had called for talks on September 18, he added.