KOCHI: The stalemate at the LPG bottling plant of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) at Udayamperoor following the strike resorted to by a section of the workers at the plant belonging to INTUC blew over on Tuesday evening after an agreement was reached at the talks convened by the assistant labour commissioner.
The agitation was resorted to by the casual labourers who prevented other labourers from entering the plant on Monday evening and Tuesday morning.
Their complaint was that they were being denied the opportunity work at the plant since permanent contract labourers were working overtime.
An INTUC leader allegedly manhandled a permanent contractor labour belonging to the same trade union who entered the first shift on Monday instead of his second shift in a work arrangement.
However, he was manhandled alleging that he was working overtime and thereby denying the causal labourer a job opportunity.
The second shift on Monday and the first shift on Tuesday did not function at the plant due to the strike and the agitating workers prevented others from entering the plant on Tuesday.
The IOC plant manager was also not allowed to enter the plant on Tuesday morning. Later the CITU workers who had also joined the agitation withdrew from the agitation.
Meanwhile IOC authorities sought the help of the labour department to sort out the issue and assistant labour commissioner convened the meeting on Tuesday evening.
At the meeting which was attended by trade union leaders it was agreed that permanent contract labourers won’t be allowed to work overtime when there are enough casual labourers to do the job and only in their absence be permanent contract labourers would be allowed work overtime. However, contract labourers will be allowed change shifts.
The functioning of the plant resumed in the second shift from 2 pm on Tuesday with one bottling machine working.
“The workers have agreed to function all three machines at the plant from Wednesday first shift,” said an IOC official.
