Jaypee workers to continue strike

Kuldeep Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, January 25

The Jaypee Workers’ Union of Karcham-Wangtoo and Baspa-II projects today declared that they will continue with their strike as Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) Manoj Gaud did not commit on implementing the Factory Act from 2008 and wage hike as per the NJPC’s standards.

Terming the hike of Rs 300 mere peanuts, workers refused to call off their strike, as a result more than 250 policemen have been deployed at the venue.

The CMD had met Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh in Shimla before he went to Kinnaur.

The SP, Kinnaur, asked striking workers to vacate the premises after the meeting, as company feared law and order problem at the 1,000-mw Karcham-Wangtoo and 300-mw Baspa-II projects in the tribal Kinnaur district.

“We will continue with the strike as Rs 300 hike announced by the CMD today at the Sholtu camp is peanuts. We will continue with the strike till the company commits us on wage hike and implementation of the Factory Act from 2008,” Vimal Prakash, vice-president of the workers’ union, told The Tribune after the meeting with the management.

“We are ready to accept their demand if the company gives even 50 per cent of what workers in NJPC project are getting and commit us to implement the Factory Act since 2008. We will call off our strike then,” he said.

Earlier, addressing workers, CMD Manoj Gaud had told the company workers to call off their strike as the company had agreed to give Rs 300 per month to all workers in both projects.

“They should call off the strike and company will negotiate with them on the table to resolve other issues,” said HK Sharma, managing director of the projects.

“But so far they have not called off the strike despite the CMD addressing them. The company is paying them the best wages in private sector in the state,” he said.

The meeting was attended by Kinnaur Deputy Commissioner DD Sharma, Kinnaur SP Rahul Nath, company CMD, other officials and workers’ representatives, sources said.

The DC could not be contacted as he had switched off his mobile phone.