IPCL Employees' Union to go on strike

A joint committee of IPCL Employees' Association (affiliated to Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh), IPCL Employees' Union (AITUC) and IPCL Workers' Union (INTUC) have announced that they will go on a strike if the transfer orders of over 1,200 employees at the non-supervisor level are not withdrawn by the management.

To begin with the employees' union of IPCL, Vadodara unit declared to go on a relay fasting to protest transfer order.

IPCL had offered its employees to opt for either a Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) or a transfer to Reliance's special economic zone(SEZ) in Jamnagar over a fortnight ago. The union had declined for both initially and had instead demanded a 'rotation transfer'.

"There is a mala fide intention behind the transfer orders by the management. When the employees refused to put down their papers under the VRS, the company threatened to transfer to a place where they are not even providing the basic amenities," said R S Patel, general secretary, AITUC.

Under the VRS, the company had offered a minimum of Rs 10 lakh to a maximum of Rs 16 lakh for the employees.

According to Madansinh Rathod, general secretary, INTUC, there are around 5,569 employees of non-supervisor category at the Vadodara unit and the management plans to shift 1,200 of them to the Jamnagar SEZ.

"The working condition is not at all good at the SEZ and the company is also not providing any basic amenities. Therefore, we have decided to go on strike from April 8. But before that we will go on a relay fast and wait for the management's response," he said.

Incidentally, around 400 employees had opted for the VRS in February. Rathod said that the union had asked the company chairman to intervene in a written application.

Following this, the HR head had agreed to offer transfer orders in rotation provided the local management at the Vadodara unit agreed to it. "But the local management refused to offer transfer orders in rotation," said Rathod.

The union had also filed a complaint in the labour court on the basis of the company's standing order which states that no employee will be transferred.

However, the court's interpretation of the document is awaited till 23 March. "Once the interpretation of the document is over, we will move to higher courts against the transfer and VRS orders," said J D Majmudar, general secretary, BMS.

Moreover, Rathod clarified that the union is not against the merger of IPCL with Reliance.

"If it benefits the company and the employees overall, then we welcome the merger. But what we demand is a solution for the transfer orders," added Rathod.