To,
The Chief Minister, Odisha
Bhubaneswar
Sub:
1) Request for passing a Government Order for no lay-off of workers/employees from private companies/farms/educational institutions/private hospitals/media institutions etc.
2) Transfer of Rs. 1500 to all casual/contract workers other than income tax payers/govt. or public sector employees/GST account holders
Honourable Chief Minister,
The Director General of WHO has correctly said that the world has changed dramatically in just the last 100 days. This COVID-19 pandemic has swept across the globe and is affecting each and every section of our society, especially the economically vulnerable sections.
Contract workers working in small and private companies are the most vulnerable section of our society. Their fear and insecurity of losing their jobs, their source of livelihood, under the “hire and fire” has deepened in the current crisis as the process has already begun
We are coming across complaints of retrenchment, wage-cut and forceful resignation of workers/employees of private firms and institutions including private universities by their employers. This goes against the advisory issued on 2nd April to various companies by the Central government.
The Ministry of Labour and Employment had issued an advisory on 20th March to all employers of public/private establishments “not to lay-off casual or contractual workers from job or reduce their wages”. The advisory cautions that wage cuts would “further deepen the crises and will not only weaken the financial condition of the employee but will also hamper their morale to combat” the pandemic. Going onestep further the CII has requested its member companies “not to lay off their employees”.
However, different private institutions and firms in Odisha have started forcing their employees to ‘resign otherwise face retrenchment’. This attitude of employers, particularly when the entire world is passing through a major catastrophe, is both inhuman and cruel as it devastates large numbers of such families. The letter written by the Labor Commissioner, Odisha number 2752/LC dtd 21/03/2020 is not fulfilling the objective.
As you know, the government of Haryana and Gujarat have already issued orders not to ‘lay-off employees from private institutions’.
So we urge before the Honorable Chief Minister to pass a Government Order with immediate effect protecting the jobs and livelihood of all contract workers/employees. Such an Order should ensure that:
1) Criminal action would be initiated against the employer if any contract worker / casual worker face retrenchment/forceful resignation. Such an order should have a proper address, email id and phone number so that a worker could send a complaint if such situation arises.
2) Transfer Rs. 1500 to all such contract/casual workers working in any private sector other than income taxpayers/govt. or public sector employees/GST account holders.
We urge before the Honourable Chief Minister to pass a Government Order (GO) with immediate effect. That would build confidence and security among workers in facing the current crisis.
Golak Bihar Nath
President
Deba Ranjan
General Secretary
Date : 16th April 2020
Email: [email protected]
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