As he delays registration of unorganised Workers
The district labour officer (DlO) was offered Chudi and Sindur by female members of the Odisha Nirman Mazdur Shabha (ONMS) on Monday protesting his apathy to the unorganised construction workers whose registration is delayed despite several appeals.
The ONMA members alleged that hundreds of daily labourers (Nirman Sramik) have applied for registration in the labour office, but to no avail.
“Their application forms are either lost or damaged in the office as the innocent labourers have no big shots behind to shout for them,” alleged Usha Pradhan, a member of the ONMS. Some members of the ruling BJD extended support to the ONMS members, finding their demands as genuine.
“Due to non registration of the Nirman Shramiks, they are getting deprived of the benefits provided by the State Government,” Pradhan alleged, adding that the high salaried Government officers were least bothered about the plight of the poor labourers.
As per the directives of the Government, the assistant labour commissioner (AlO) and the rural labour inspector (RlI) can make registration of the Nirman Shramiks. But DlO BD Jena is yet to authorise them to do so.
In most of the times, the labourers are returning from the district labour office as the officers and the staff members remain absent, the protestors said, alleging that the labour Department was busy in safeguarding the interest of big industries instead of the labourers.
“Many young girls and boys working in big malls, shops, hotels, nursing homes, clinics and similar private organisations are getting hardly `100 per day.
But the labour Department here is satisfied with getting their annual quota,” they said and demanded minimum wages to the workers.
However when contacted, DlO Jena said that not a single constriction worker came to his office to put his grievance. He clarified that he was targeted as he was strict on issuing cards to genuine persons only.