Workers employed by the HPL, the operator of Khimti I hydropower project, had gone on protest on Dec 16, stopping all works in the power company, except electricity generation, after they were sacked from their posts and replaced with a team recruited by G4S -- an outsourcing company.[break]
Initially, the MoLTM gave time to both the management and workers to settle the dispute themselves. But it was forced to intervene later after some of the workers who had participated in the hunger strike started falling sick.
“To keep the situation in control, we have now given the HPL management until Thursday to cancel its agreement with G4S, under which the outsourcing company had started recruiting its people in the power company,” Navin Kumar Pokharel, under-secretary at the MoLTM, told Republica. “Once this condition is met, agitated workers have agreed to end the hunger strike.”
Annulment of contract with G4S, however, does not mean the workers, who were fired, will be reinstated to their previous positions in the HPL, as the power company still does not recognize them as its own employees.
This is because these workers were recruited in the company by another outsourcing firm -- Khimti Services Private Limited.
But the twist is Khimti Services was established in 2001 by transferring 89 HPL employees, who were working as drivers, cooks, gardeners, security guards and janitors.
Workers, who were transferred and are now sacked, told Republica they had agreed to move to Khimti Services because they were told “it was like a subsidiary” of the HPL and they would be “entitled to similar benefits enjoyed by the staff of the HPL”.
“However, this did not happen,” Arjun Chaulagain, one of the sacked employees, told Republica.
Soon after the transfer was complete, employees of Khimti Services were denied benefits enjoyed by employees of the HPL, which included annual bonus equivalent to up to 12 months of salary.
This triggered first round of protest in the power company around five years ago, after which the management agreed to hand them bonuses equivalent to four months of salary.
“Since this was too little, we launched another round of protest around three years ago after which the case reached the Labor Tribunal,” said Ramesh Maharjan, another employee who was sacked. The Tribunal last June ruled in favor of workers of Khimti Services and asked the HPL to share equal benefits with them.
Since that time, workers told Republica, their relationship with the management went sour, as the tribunal´s decision meant the company had to fork out millions of rupees to settle outstanding bonus amount it owed to workers in the last 11 years.
“That´s why on Dec 15, the HPL terminated its contract with Khimti Services and replaced 89 staff of the company with those recruited by G4S, rendering us jobless,” Maharjan said.
The MoLTM is planning to hold second round of talks soon to decide the fate of these workers.
“This time the discussion will also be participated by an official of energy ministry, chief district officer of Dolakha, where Khimti project is situated, local politicians of Dolakha, apart from management officials, workers and MoLTM officials,” added Pokharel.
Related story
Department of Passports dilly-dallying in implementing court’s...
