FCI union to go on strike

The Statesman, Sept 30, 2008
Statesman News Service

BHAWANIPATNA, Sept. 29: In a bid to pressure the government to engage workers directly, instead of through contractors, in the godowns of Central Warehousing Corporation and State Warehousing Corporation and for provision of other benefits for them, the Food Corporation of India (FCI) workers’ union has decided to go on strike.
Inaugurating the state-level conference of FCI workers’ union at Kesinga, founder-joint secretary of the union Mr Ghanashyam Jena said that there would be two days token strike in the last week of October and in case there is no tangible result, there will be full-fledged strike from November. “In that case, the godowns will be closed down and public distribution system will be disrupted,” Mr Jena warned.
More than 4,000 workers of warehousing godowns in the state, who are engaged through contractors, are deprived of benefits of provident fund, minimum wages and working hour, leave benefits as per the Wages Act. They are not provided with identity cards, there is no fixed duty hours and they are deprived of various welfare amenities, he charged.
Talking about the problems faced by workers engaged directly under Food Corporation of India, either employed by the FCI directly or through direct payment system, he alleged that the FCI authorities are violating the agreement entered into between the management and the union.
He cited the example of an agreement inked on 7 November 2007 regarding promotion of workers and merger of labour gangs, which is not implemented yet.
This apart, hundreds of pension cases of workers under employees’ pension scheme remain unsettled for years, he pointed out.