The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : NLC concedes bonus demand of contract labourers

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Sunday, Mar 23, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

NLC concedes bonus demand of contract labourers

Special Correspondent

They will get ex-gratia payment with retrospective effect from 2005-06

NEYVELI: The contract labourers, numbering about 13,000, of the Neyveli Lignite Corporation will get ex-gratia payment equivalent to minimum bonus with retrospective effect from 2005-06.

After a meeting with the representatives of the labour unions, including the two recognised unions such as the Labour Progressive Front and the Pattali Thozhir Sangam, the NLC management made the announcement on Saturday.

The management would make provisions in the tender schedule facilitating the payment of ex-gratia equivalent to minimum bonus prescribed under the Payment of Bonus Act through the contractors.

Hitherto, the contractors used to pay a gift amount, varying from Rs 500 to Rs 1,000, to the contract labourers for Deepavali.

It has been the persisting demand of the various unions for the past several years that the contract labourers also be paid minimum bonus.

However, the management had not specified the date on which the arrears would be paid. The NLC sources said after collecting the details of the gift payment made so far the modalities of ex-gratia payment would be worked out.

Other demands

The trade union sources said they welcomed the management decision and added that it had relented after the unions had served a strike notice on the management stating that if the 10-charter of demands were not met the contract labourers would go on an indefinite strike from March 29.

All India Trade Union Congress secretary P. Kuppuswamy told The Hindu that despite the management conceding the demand for bonus, the strike call stands. Because solutions remained elusive for other demands such as regularisation of contract labourers, equal pay for equal work, house or house rent allowance and recognition of the Jeeva Contract Labourers’ Union.

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