The Madras High Court on Monday granted an interim stay on the strike planned by various workers’ unions of the Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) from July 2 against the management over wage revision.
When a plea filed by the Chief Regional Manager of Neyveli Lignite Corporation Limited seeking to restrain the workers’ unions from proceeding with the strike they had planned to commence on July 2 came up for hearing, Justice T. Raja granted a stay and ordered issuing of notice to the respondents.
The petitioner submitted that though an agreement could not be clinched between the management and the workers’ unions over the wage settlement for the five-year term covering 2012-16, the NLC continued to pay ad-hoc advances to eligible workers from 2012.
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Meanwhile, various “non-negotiating” unions made demands to the management making “exorbitant” demands which were directly in conflict with the directives of the Department of Public Enterprises Guidelines on Wage Revision.
Following the notice issued by various workers’ unions calling for a strike from July 2 pressing their demands for revision of wages, the management called for a conciliation meeting with the representatives of the unions and the meeting was eventually inconclusive.
“By all indications, there is every reason to apprehend that on and from July 2, the mining and generation activities of the Corporation will be severely hampered. It is likely and it is expected that certain number of workmen affiliated to the unions may indulge in agitations or they may strike work,” he stated.
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He further sought for a direction to restrain the unions and their members from proceeding with the illegal strike or indulging in any mode of agitation within or at the gates or in the vicinity of the installations of NLC which would disrupt or has the potential to disrupt the mining and generation .