NLC contract workers go on fast, demand regularisation of jobs

A large number of contract workers of Neyveli Lignite Corporation staged a day long fast here, demanding regularisation of services as per a Supreme Court order.

Workers belonging to seven trade unions, including the DMK affiliated Labour Progressive Front, staged the fast near the first unit thermal station.

The workers demanded that the services of nearly 10,524 contract labours be regularised as per the Apex Court order of April 16, 2013,S Raja Vannian, DMK trade union secretary said.

However, 11 trade unions, including AITUC, CITU and BMS did not participate in the stir, AITUC Secretary R Venkatesan said.

He said AITUC had filed a case in the Supreme Court and waited for 10 years to get the verdict and alleged that the DMK affiliated union was politicising the issue.

The Apex Court had said the NLC management has to prepare a common seniority list of contract workmen for their absorption, and struck down NLC's practice of inducting senior contract workmen initially into Indoserve (Industrial cooperative service society) before absorbing them into regular employment.