Centre for Indian Trade Union (CITU) Angul unit president Annada Acharya demanded abolition of a prolonged custom of calling a higher official as ‘Sahib’ by a lower official or Mazdoor in the MCl mines.
He said the low grade staff members of the MCl mines have to salute their higher-ups by calling them as ‘Sahib’. Even in some cases, senior staff members of lower grades have to do it while greeting the higher ones lest they may have to face action, said Acharya, adding that it is an unhealthy trend and must be dispensed with.
He said that the trend has been continuing since the British Raj when the mines were started in Talcher. He lamented that even after long years of independence, bossism is prevalent in the work culture in the MCl mines and the low grade workers are seen with contempt.
Achraya also demanded a change in the Postal employees’ transfer system. He said that as per the standing rule in the India Post, the employees can work for a maximum period of four years at a station. As a result, the employees are transferred frequently for which they have to face many hardships.
The union leader said that the postal employees have to face difficulties in providing education to their wards as frequent transfer forces them to change their schools. He urged the authorities to implement transfer in seven years instead of four years.