Kishore Peraje

Daijiworld Media Network – Bantwal (EP)

Bantwal, May 3: In an appreciable gesture, Bantwal MLA Rajesh Naik Ulipadiguthu visited a spot where a few workers were protesting in front of the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation unit’s gate, urging to reinstate daily wage workers who were fired from the company. The MLA called company officials to the spot, held discussions and made them take the workers back to work.

The incident took at Guddeyangadi on Friday morning, Amy 3. Hindustan Petroleum Corporation had terminated the services of eleven local residents of Malali and Kandavar unit, Kaikamba without notice. The workers who lost jobs protested in front of company gate. The eleven workers were employed on contract basis for the last six years.

Workers who lost jobs expressed their grievances to MLA Rajesh Naik during his visit. The MLA called the company management officials to the place of protest and said that the workers have worked for the company during difficult period when basic facilities were lacking in the company. “Now that the company runs smoothly, removing the workers from service all of sudden without notice especially when there are no complaints against the workers is not a fair practice,” he said.

“Recruit more workers if you like but do not do unjust towards workers who have been working in the company since the beginning,” he told officials.

He asked the officials to rectify the fault and take back the workers who have lost the jobs. General manager Rajasekharan assured that he will speak to senior company officials and take suitable action. He said that they had to remove the workers as government has asked to recruit former defence personnel in the company and asked the workers to join duty till further orders.

Company DGM Bishwas Kumar Sharma, manager Kiran Kumar, senior officials Devappa Poojary, Chandrahas Shetty Narla, Bhujanga Kulal, Umesh Arala, Umesh Shetty, Nandaram Rai, Vasanth Annalike, Ganjimath gram panchayat member Durgadas Shetty, Sandeep Shetty Mogaru, Pavan Kumar Shetty, Manjunath Shettigar, Purushotham Shetty Vamadapadavu, Bhasker Kulal Mogaru, Ramesh Battaje, Ranjan Shetty, Vedananda Karanth, Arala gram panchayat member Ashraf and others were present.

Bantwal rural police station staff had provided strict security.