3,000 IOC refinery workers on strike

VADODARA: Around 3,000 contract workers at Indian Oil Corporation's Gujarat Refinery stayed away from work on Tuesday after talks between them and management failed to resolve their long-pending issues. Gujarat Refinery officials, however, said that this did not impact the Koyali refinery's operations as Tuesday was holiday.
The contract workers have raised a series of demands before the management including that for primary amenities for usage of toilet blocks, proper drinking water facilities, canteen and parking facilities."These demands were raised before three years. The payment of contract workers is being delayed by four to six months and even their NOCs are getting delayed," said Dharmendrasinh Waghela, who leads the Contractors Education Welfare Association.
"The workers have to face long queue even to get their gatepass issued on time which usually takes five to six days. We had held a meeting with the management to get the issues resolved but the management was not ready to resolve the issue on Monday and hence around 4,000 workers did not join work on Tuesday," he said.
Waghela claimed that the contract workers will continue to abstain from work on Wednesday if their issues are not resolved.
A refinery spokesperson however said that the management is in talks with the contract workers.
"They had put up certain demands of which main demands have been agreed upon. Some demands which are legitimate have been agreed upon and some demands which are not in line with the vigilance guidelines and government policies have not been agreed upon. Discussions are going on to resolve the issue amicably," he said.