There is no sign of the end of the deadlock at the Heavy Engineering Corporation (HEC) as the talk between the workers and the management has failed and the production works are continuing to be affected due to the strike.
All three directors of HEC MK Saxena, M Panda and Rana S Chakravarty held a talk with members of the labour organizations. They offered to pay 50 per cent of their pending salaries by December 25 besides labourers who will get one month’s salary in January. They are also assured to solve their salary and other problems.
But labour unions refused to accept it as peanuts and said that such stopgap arrangements would not solve their problem.
Labourers said that their salary for many months has been withheld and survival has become difficult for them. The management even assured to reopen the canteen for labourers and further said that it would also arrange school fees for children of labourers.
Notably, labourers have resorted to tool down strikes to pressurise the management to ensure payment of their salary.
Notably, a few days back the Minister for Heavy Industries, Dr Mahendra Nath Pandey had chaired a meeting to discuss the revival of HEC.
The ministry turned down the request of the HEC for a bailout package worth Rs 875 Crore. He also refused to allow HEC to increase its bank guarantee and mortgage HEC land to raise money from the market.
Minister had asked HEC management to ensure that workers end their tool down strike. He cautioned a prolonged strike would further prove detrimental for HEC.
There are currently 1350 permanent officers-employees in the company. Besides, there are around 1700 supply workers. Labourers have alleged HEC management forced them to work without wages for the past several months.
The HEC has currently a work order worth Rs 2000 and it has a completed work order worth Rs 1200. But the production has been halted. On average HEC has to pay Rs 11 crore per month as salary and wages to labourers. HEC insiders said that even officials have not received their salaries.
