People's Democracy

THE constituent unions of the CITU-affiliated All India NTPC Employees' Federation have refused to sign the long-term wage settlement concluded between some of the trade unions and the NTPC management on January 25.

The jointly signed statement issued by these unions said that, as the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) is one of the 'Navratna' companies, its executives have already been given a grand pay scale and perks at par with other 'Navaratna' companies like the ONGC, Oil India Ltd and the public sector refineries including the IOC. The workers demanded parity in the norms and scale of benefits (and definitely not equal amount) with the pay revision of the executives. But, in connivance with a section of trade unions, the management has denied to the NTPC workers this justified demand.

The non-signatory unions have already launched a joint protest action. While February 2 was observed as Protest Day, when workers wore black badges throughout the country, the all-India convention of NTPC workers, scheduled to be held at Ramagundam, Andhra Pradesh on February 15, will decide the detailed programme of action including a strike.

It is now known to all the NTPC employees that a wage settlement was concluded on January 25 midnight between the management and the trade unions affiliated to the INTUC, BMS and AITUC. All the unions affiliated to the CITU and the elected NBC unions of Badarpur, Dadri, Ramagundam and Farakka refused to sign the settlement.

What is most unfortunate and shocking is that the so-called wage settlement is far away from the genuine expectations of the workers whose demands were not unjustified. They demanded revision of wages, pay scales, allowances and other facilities on the basis of the same principle that is applied for the wage revision of the executives in the same company.

In a written communication, the NTPC management had agreed that "salary revision for executives, wef 1.1.97 had been effected after obtaining approval of the board. The board had approved the proposal on the revision of pay-scales and other benefits for the executives after receipt of a letter dated 3.7.2000 from the ministry of power, indicating that the ministry did not have any objection to revised pay scales for executives as proposed by NTPC. The NTPC proposal on revision of pay scales, fitment benefit etc was in line with those adopted by ONGC and other oil sector PSUs. After approval of the board, implementation circulars were issued and payment in this regard has been released to the executives."

On the basis of the above fact, the CITU-affiliated union repeatedly put before the management that since the executives have been granted wage revision based on the pattern in ONGC and other oil sector companies, why the NTPC workers should not be granted wage revision at par with the ONGC/IOC workers. The most shocking point is that the trade unions that signed the so-called settlement, never supported these logical demands of the NTPC workers. Rather they sided with the management executives.

The benefits being enjoyed by the ONGC and other oil sector workers are quite known to the NTPC workers. Just take the case of fitment benefit:

1) ONGC workers: 56 per cent of all the components of basic pay as on 31.12.96 plus VDA at AICPI 1708 plus two pre-revised increments.

2) IOC workers: 20 per cent of all the components of basic pay, plus personal pay, plus an additional fitment benefit ranging from Rs 1250 to Rs 2200 plus two additional increments on revised rate on revised basic pay.

3) GAIL workers: 52 per cent on all the components of basic pay plus personal pay plus VDA on AICPI 1708 and further additional 6 per cent of the revised basic pay.

4) Oil India workers: 58 per cent of both basic pay plus VDA at AICPI 1708

Apart from some other benefits, the executives have been granted additional increments drawn at the pre-revised scale. Moreover, they have been granted special pay up to a maximum of Rs 1208 while fixing their pay in the revised grades. It is a huge benefit indeed.

On the other hand, if the fitment benefit granted to the NTPC workers under the so called settlement signed by the INTUC, BMS and AITUC unions, is compared to the benefit granted to the NTPC executives or to the oil sector workers, it would reveal that the NTPC workers have been humiliatingly discriminated against and subjected to heavy losses.

Whereas the oil sector workers have been granted fitment benefit together on basic pay and total components of FDA, VDA, personal pay, etc, the NTPC workers have been allowed fitment benefit only on basic pay and that too comes to a very small amount of Rs 54. Not even the 'two increments at pre-revised rate' have been counted for calculating fitment benefit despite repeated pleas. The NTPC executives and the oil sector workers have been granted additional increments in revised rate but the NTPC workers have been deprived of this benefit. This comes to a big discrimination if one remembers that this wage revision is for ten long years. The 100 per cent neutralisation benefit for payment of VDA and the grand pay scales granted to the executive, on the one hand, and the comparatively low wage rise granted to workers, on the other, will lead to a galloping increase in the existing gap between the pay of the executives and that of the workers and supervisors.

Any trade union worth its name cannot accept and be party to such a deceitful settlement. Denial of the workers’ just and rational demands by the management not only deprives the workers of their legitimate claims; it is humiliating them and undermining their role in the running of the company. Can the workers or their true representative remain silent spectators to such betrayal?

That is why, true to its commitment to the working class and the principle of justice and rationality, the All India NTPC Employees Federation did not sign the so-called settlement which cannot even be called a settlement. It is rather a surrender, betraying the interest of the workers. The federation has demanded that the so-called settlement be modified and corrected to provide the pay revision benefits as per the just expectations of the workers and in parity with the NTPC executives or, for that matter, at par with the ONGC or other oil sector workers.

Giving vent to the hurt feelings of the workers, register its protest against the ill-motivated settlement and press for the demand for a re-negotiation on wage issue, the federation has decided to launch a united movement. The details of programmes will be worked out at the all-India convention of the NTPC workers to be held at Ramagundam on February 15. In the meantime, the federation has appealed to the entire NTPC workforce to join the protest actions in all the NTPC plants through gate meetings, demonstrations, leaflet distribution and poster displays. The federation hopes to get a huge response from the workers, as was indicated by the way the Protest Day was observed on February 2.