In the wake of the indefinite protest staged by contract workers of the Mysore Paper Mills (MPM), a public sector unit in Bhadravati, an all-party delegation held a meeting with the senior officials of the firm on Saturday.
It may be mentioned here that the production at MPM was stopped as per the order of the Central Pollution Control Board for the alleged failure by the firm to abide by the laws related to environment pollution. Following this development, the management laid 54 contract workers off from work February 1. Besides that, the management did not renew the contract of 63 contract workers on May 2. Since then the contract workers have been on an indefinite protest demanding their re-instatement.
The delegation comprising ex-MLA B.K. Sangameshwar, leader of Janata Dal (Secular) Karunamurthy, trade union leaders J.N. Chandrahas and D.C. Mayanna held a meeting with senior officers of the firm including its Chief Finance Officer Vishwanath Malghan, Chief Operating Officer B.P. Ravindranath, Chief Administrative Officer S.N. Malavalli. As the production has resumed at the firm, the delegation requested the management to re-instate the contract workers who had been fired. .
The officers reportedly have told the delegation that a study on the actual requirement of the contract workers was being conducted. Lingoji Rao, a functionary of All-India Trade Union Congress, told press persons that the officers assured the delegation that they would soon take measures to re-induct the contract workers who had lost their jobs.
The talks pertained to re-instating of nearly 120 contract labourers who had been fired
