CITU & Deepak Project Workers Union to go on strike for workers’ issues related to EPF, holidays, medical facilities, gratuity, etc

CITU meeting related to the Deepak Project Workers Union was held in Devidhar Basantpur Shimla. In the meeting, it was decided to go on a complete strike by the Border Roads Organization (BRO) workers on 16th February for their demands. During this period, workers will stop working and hold protest rallies at various places.

Addressing the meeting, CITU State President Vijendra Mehra, District Treasurer Balak Ram, and Deepak Project Workers Union President Prem Lal warned the Central Government and BRO management that there will be a complete strike on February 16 against their anti-labor policies. He said that the labor laws of the country are continuously being violated in BRO. The workers are not being provided with facilities like EPF, holidays, medical facilities, gratuity, retrenchment allowance, and notice pay. Bonus is also not being given as per rules. They should be given 39 holidays in addition to weekly holidays as per the rules. Laborers do not have housing facilities. The condition of the housing facilities provided is pathetic. In many places, laborers do not even have access to electricity, toilets, bathrooms, and water facilities. There are no proper facilities or vehicles for laborers to go on duty and their children to go to school in remote hilly areas. Thousands of laborers working in these inaccessible areas are neither being given free ration from the welfare fund of the department nor are they being provided ration through ration cards. In these areas with heavy snowfall, workers are not even being provided the facility of kerosene and wood. Workers are not even being given shoes, jackets, and gloves to protect themselves from cold. Workers are not getting their salaries on time. They are not getting salary and overtime pay as per their trade. They have to buy brooms, picks, shovels, shovels, trowels, and other work tools with their own money. Due to a lack of vehicles, they have to report for duty at six in the morning instead of eight. After the year 2019, many workers have either been retrenched or discharged without any reason. Benefits like stipend, marriage, death, medical and pension, etc. received by the workers under the Labor Welfare Board have been stopped. These should be restored immediately. The outstanding amount or arrears of increased wages of the workers should be paid immediately.