3-day strike at HPL to be called off; employee-management negotiations on

18-Aug-08

Centre for Indian Trade Union (CITU) has called off a three day strike demanding permanent employment for the 183 contract workers at Haldia Petrochemicals Ltd. (HPL) which was to take place from August 18 to August 20. CITU and HPL Employees Union have postponed the same to September 2 owing to the current on going negotiations with the HPL management and also showing that the Union is not against the interest of the industry. The three meetings been held with the union and the letter sent to CITU clearly affirmed that HPL could not at once assure permanence of all the 183 workers. Nevertheless, HPL would give permanent jobs to some of the workers and the rest would be given a top priority as and when vacancy prevails. Responding to this, HPL management had received a letter saying that at least the contract workers should receive the increment in the salary and other benefits similar to those of the permanent employees if not permanent jobs. Since production started in HPL in 2001, there have been no strikes at the plant.