The Hindu : Business : Supplyco employees threaten strike

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Tuesday, Jan 06, 2009
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Supplyco employees threaten strike

Staff Reporter

KOCHI: The State committee of the Supplyco Employees Forum has threatened to launch an indefinite strike disrupting the functioning of Supplyco outlets across the State during this year’s Onam season, if its demands were not met at the earliest.

Addressing a press conference at the Ernakulam Press Club on Saturday, M. Radhakrishnan Cheriyela, general secretary of the Forum, warned of a token strike on March 26 forcing the closure of all the Supplyco outlets if the Supplyco management failed to reach a decision on these demands in consultation with the representatives of the employees on or before February 20.

He said that a memorandum enlisting 27 demands of the Supplyco employees had been submitted to the State government.

Mr. Radhakrishnan said that salesmen at Supplyco outlets were being denied promotion and other benefits owing to the lack of a clear promotion policy and service rules.

This was taking place at a time when officers on deputation to Supplyco were enjoying all benefits and using it as a temporary shelter for securing promotion, he alleged.

He said that while even the Kerala State Beverages Corporation Limited that was formed 15 years after Supplyco had stopped the deputation system and entrusted the Public Service Commission with appointments, Supplyco was still following the deputation system.

He said that it was high time that Supplyco ended the deputation system and made appointments through the PSC.

Mr. Radhakrishnan alleged that Supplyco was accumulating losses owing to payment of hefty pay checks to deputed officials.

According to him, Supplyco was being forced to hike prices to meet this burden.

The memorandum among other demands called for bringing Supplyco under the purview of the Companies Act thus making uniform payment norms applicable to all its employees.

Presently, he said, only a section of employees were paid as per Companies Act while assistant salesmen were being denied this. There was also a demand to fill the assistant salesmen vacancies without delay.

P.G. Ramanan Cherthala, president of the Supplyco Employees Forum; R. Vijayakumar Payyanur, vice president; and Subhash S. Mukhathala, treasurer, also attended the press meet.

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