Lakhimpur Khiri: Workers' unions and labour organisations staged a protest at a sugar mill, raising concerns over pending payments, labour welfare issues and working conditions.
Representatives from several unions, including the Cane Labour Union, Indian Sugar Mill Workers Association, Shankar Mazdoor Union Sugar Factory and Shramik Kalyan Sangh, participated in the demonstration. The protest was led by labour leaders Harishankar Kashyap, Shailendra Shah, Dinanath Yadav, Girja Shankar, Damodar Nath Tiwari, Rajkumar Awasthi and Ramkumar Singh, among others, Hindustan reported.
The union leaders alleged that the mill management has repeatedly ignored employees’ concerns. According to them, workers have not received bonus payments for several months.
Contract workers also joined the protest, claiming that their wages have remained unpaid for the past three months. They alleged that contract employees are not being paid according to prescribed norms and are being denied leave and other benefits available to workers.
The protesters further claimed that employees are being subjected to excessive workloads, which are affecting their physical and mental well-being. They also alleged that the contract labour system is being implemented improperly in several areas, leading to exploitation of workers.
The unions demanded that the management address the pending issues and ensure timely payment of wages, bonuses and other benefits to employees.