Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje

Stany Bela

Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Oct 7: On the morning of September 1, Suvarna Patil left her home as usual for her daily shift at the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) site in Baikampady. Originally from Bagalkot and settled in Mangaluru for more than two decades, Suvarna had worked as a housekeeping worker at HPCL for the past 25 years.

However, her routine came to an abrupt halt at the main gate. Security personnel barred her entry, informing her that senior officials had instructed them to deny her access because her services had been terminated. Neither HPCL management nor the contractor had given her any prior notice or formal communication.

Suvarna was not alone. Sooramma and Sharanamma, both with 10 years of service at the unit, and Paravva, a housekeeping worker with 15 years of service, faced the same fate that morning.

For the past 37 days, the four women have been sitting at the HPCL main gate in tears during working hours. Every time an official's vehicle stops for security clearance, they run towards it, pleading for reinstatement. So far, no company representative has stepped forward to address their grievance.

'Suicide is the only option left'

"I have spent half my life working inside HPCL as a housekeeper. Suddenly, without giving any reason, they denied me entry," said Suvarna Patil, fighting back tears.

"I am the sole breadwinner for my family. My children are still studying, and I have to manage their educational expenses, food, and clothing. The house owner has already threatened to evict us if I fail to pay this month's rent. After spending 25 years inside these walls, I have no outside connections. Who will hire me at this age? I thought I could work here until my children finished their education. Now, everything has collapsed. Suicide feels like the only option left," she said.

Sooramma's story is equally heartbreaking.

She said, "I joined 10 years ago. After my husband passed away two years ago, this job gave me the stability to recover from the shock and enrol my children in a private school. My elder daughter, who recently gave birth, is also staying with me. When I managed to ask some staff members why we were removed, they claimed it was company policy to cut costs. Hundreds of people work inside this plant, yet the four of us were singled out. Where do we go now? How do I tell my landlord that I can't pay the rent?"

Sharanamma added that her debts were already mounting.

"All doors are closed to us. We come here every day, trying to catch our supervisors or the contractor at the gate, but nobody listens. I have a bank loan with overdue EMIs starting to pile up. I have no other choice — I will sit here until my death," she said.

Union intervention and legal notice

After noticing the desperate protest at the gate, CITU and the Nagarika Horata Samiti, Surathkal, stepped in to support the workers over the past week.

Speaking on the issue, CPI(M) leader Muneer Katipalla stated: "Without any prior notice, these female contract workers have been illegally denied work and forced to sit in front of the company gate for over a month. HPCL has blatantly violated the Contract Labour Act and government policies."

"It is the primary obligation of the principal employer to ensure that every contract and non-permanent worker receives formal appointment letters, statutory social security benefits like ESI and PF, paid national and festival holidays, bonuses, gratuity, and equal pay for equal work," Katipalla emphasised.

"We demand that the concerned authorities and public representatives intervene immediately to reinstate all four workers with full back wages and continuity of service."

The union has submitted a formal representation to HPCL management, issuing a seven-day ultimatum.

"If the issue is not resolved within seven days, we will initiate strict legal action and launch an intense, democratic agitation," Katipalla warned.

Agitation set to escalate

With CITU and DYFI declaring full support for the workers, the dismissal of the four long-serving women threatens to trigger wider protests across the industrial belt.

Activists have warned that the issue is fast turning into a public cause across Tulunadu, as local workers are increasingly stripped of their livelihoods on their own soil by managements from outside Karnataka.