Jamshedpur: The indefinite strike called by the four labour unions of the Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) mines in East Singhbhum district demanding wage revision entered the 12th day on Monday.
The four labour unions Jadugora Labour Union (JLU), Uranium Kamgar Union (UKU), Uranium Mazdoor Sangh and Singhbhum Uranium Mazdoor Union jointly called for indefinite strike from October 8 in support of their demand for wage revision due since April last year.
On October 16 the chairman-cum-managing director of UCIL, Ramendra Gupta had convened a meeting with the leaders of the striking unions and had offered 23 percent guaranteed benefit against the demand of the labour unions of 24 percent hike and two increments.
Admitting that the indefinite strike was still going on and production has been affected, Rajaram Singh, General Secretary of UKU, welcomed the UCIL managements steps to break the deadlock but described it as "incomplete."
Singh said the labour unions has rejected the managements "unilateral decision" in regard with fringe benefits such as conveyance allowances, night duty allowances and house rent allowances.
If the UCIL authorities were really serious to maintain parity with the wages of Coal India Limited, he said they should have implemented it in letter and spirit.
The company sources, however, claimed that the management agreed to honour the parity with the Coal India Limited, where wage revision had taken place last year, as it amounted to 21.2 percent increase in guaranteed benefit.
However, the labour unions stuck to their original demand of 24 percent.
Meanwhile, Production in all the six units of UCIL including Jadugora uranium mine, Turamdih mine, Narwa mine, Bhatin mine, Baghjata mine and Mahuldih mine had been affected due to the strike.
Subal Kumar Das, General Secretary of JLU, said no further progress was made after the meeting held on October 16 last.
The ongoing indefinite strike being observed unitedly by the labour unions was the longest ever in the history of UCIL.
Bureau Report
First Published: Monday, October 19, 2009, 21:00