A dharna by the contractual employees of Indian Rare Earths limited (IRE) at Matikhalo, Chhatrapur, reached the fourth day on Sunday. Hundreds of contractual employees continued to squat in front of the IRE main gate since last Thursday demanding regularisation of job, while the IRE authorities did not make any effort to end the stir as they are nonchalant about the demand.
The employees also demanded filling up of the vacancy in the IRE by the contractual employees, especially who are local candidates.
Meanwhile, under the initiatives of the Ganjam District Collector, a meeting was held between the authorities of the IRE and the district administration on Thursday to resolve the matter, but in vain.
Sources said there are currently more than 300 contractual employees/labourers working in the IRE for the last two to three decades.
"We have been serving in the IRE since last 30 years. Hence, our whole life time has gone as contractual employees. We were deprived of benefits available to a permanent jobholder," the employees lamented.
When asked, Chief General Manager of IRE ltd Dhirendra Mohanty said that a discussion between the management and the employees is on and hoped that the strike of the employees would be called off soon.
Former Deputy Speaker and BJP Kissan Morcha national vice president Rama Chandra Panda demanded that the authorities should immediately invite the contractual employees to the negotiation table and fulfil their genuine demands without delay.
"Since IRE is a public sector undertaking, it must play the role of an ideal employer. Hence, it should settle the dispute amicably in the interest of the employees and the local public," Panda added.