Team News Riveting
Raipur, March 16
A trade union leader suspended on the charges of alleged sexual harassment of a woman at the work place is leading the strike in the National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) in Chhattisgarh.
The workers have gone on indefinite strike from March 6 in support of their demands for a wage settlement even as the NMDC management has termed the strike illegal. The extreme step, which has posed a serious challenge for the country’s largest iron ore producer to even achieve last year’s production target, was taken despite the management and competent authorities’ plea for peace as conciliation proceedings are under way and the file is with the authorities for approval.
The NMDC management has intimated the Chief Labour Commissioner (Central) at New Delhi that the trade unions have resorted to willful slowdown of work and work-to-rule with effect from March 6, 2025 that tantamount to illegal strike. The conciliation proceedings before the Chief Labour Commissioner at New Delhi has been posted for March 17, 2025. But before the meeting, the trade unions resorted to strike.
Meanwhile, startling revelations have been coming out about the strike. A retired NMDC employee based in Dantewada said one Raja Rao, who is leading the agitation, has been charged of sexual harassment of a woman employee at the work place. The management had taken stringent action against the union leader following the complaint lodged by the woman employee.
Rao could not be contacted for his version on the issue. The employee said, “The NMDC management had instituted an inquiry and found the trade union leader’s involvement in the incident.” After getting the report from the committee, the trader union leader was suspended, who is now provoking the workers.
The employee said he would reveal more astonishing facts about the leaders involved in the strike. For, they are inflicting a heavy loss to the company and the workers will finally pay the price for it.
