The employees of the Neyveli Lignite Corporation would have to take a wage cut for 13 days, i.e., from July 3 to 15, the period when they went on strike opposing the Centre’s move to divest five per cent of the NLC shares.
The NLC sources told The Hindu that as the management would go by the “no work- no pay” norms the cut would be made in two instalments or to be deducted from the salary to be paid in August and September.
Since the salary period in NLC is calculated from 11th of the previous month to 10th of the current month to be paid next month (for instance July salary would be calculated from June 11 to July 10 and paid in August), the strike period virtually encompasses “two salary months.”
For the purpose the NLC has adopted the system of assumed attendance and actual attendance. As such, the employees would have to forego eight days’ pay in August and five days pay in September.
Stir goes
Meanwhile, following talks held with the NLC officials the recognised trade unions withdrew the work-to-rule agitation from Monday night.
As on Tuesday normal situation prevailed in the lignite mines and the thermal power stations.
So far, the NLC management has placed four employees under suspension on the charges of rude behaviour and shirking of responsibility.
Secretary of the Anna Workers and Staff Union (affiliated to the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) Rama. Udayakumar told this correspondent that the trade unions had urged the management to revoke the suspension.
Incentives
Mr. Udayakumar further said that the unions had also called upon the management to sign a Memorandum of Understanding on the payment of bonus incentives. He acknowledged the fact that ever since Monday night the employees had given up the work-rule-stir and resumed the normal functioning.
The sources said that the incentives were being given on two forms: quarterly plant performance reward and the production linked incentives.
The MoU could not be signed because certain parameters of the latter aspect ought to be revisited.
If comes through, the incentive of every employee would be enhanced from the present Rs. 51,000 to Rs. 1.24 lakh.
The sources also hinted at hiking the charges for other service aspects such as the price of foodstuff served in the canteens, house rent and transport tariffs.
Power production on Tuesday was in the region of 1,900MW against the full capacity of 2,490MW.
Give up work-to-rule stir from Monday night.
