Protesting the failure of the Odisha Power Transmission Corporation limited (OPTCl) in solving various longstanding problems faced by its workers, the Nikhil Odisha Bidyut Shramik Mahasangh staged a dharna in front of the OPTCl office here on Tuesday.
The workers alleged that they have been subjected to mental torture as highly-qualified workers are not given promotion and the engineer responsible for the death of a worker, Subrat Routray, of the Kendrapada Grid is not yet punished.
“Due to some unskilled HR officials, the workers are subjected to mental torture since long. The ITI workers are not appointed as line man or in ‘Operator-C’ as per the OPTCl rules; rather they are engaged as Helpers. Similarly, highly-qualified workers are not given promotion. All the issues of the workers are taken for discussion, but in vein,” alleged Mahasangha general secretary Akshay Kumar Tripathy.
The Mahasangh’s 11-point charter of demands include equal insurance for accidents for all, immediate arrest of the person responsible for Routray’s death, regularisation of around 50 computer operators, who have been working for the last 15 years on contractual basis, engagement of security guards working since 15 years as Grade-IV employees and timely provision of salary, etc.
The agitators called off their stir and postponed it till May 23 after the OPTCl Chairman came to the protest spot and assured them of solving their problems.