Jajpur Road: Normal work and transportation of goods from the IDCO-owned ferrochrome plant here in Jajpur district was disrupted after casual labourers opposing mechanisation and lay-offs gheraoed the plant and staged a dharna Wednesday.
The stir sparked tension as no employee or senior officers were allowed to enter the plant. The casual labourers owing allegiance to Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) staged a dharna outside the plant gate giving away slogans against mechanisation and lay-off of labourers.
On being informed, Vyasanagar tehsildar Niranjan Behera and Jajpur Road IIC Amitav Mohapatra rushed to the spot and tried to placate the labourers but in vain. They refused to budge from their stand till their demands are met.
Sources said, earlier, the labourers had staged a dharna outside the plant gate for 19 days. A tripartite meeting was then held where the labour authorities in the presence of trade union leaders directed the plant authorities to provide gate pass to 18 labourers for work and made them sign an agreement. However, the plant authorities refused to implement the agreement even after signing it.
The refusal by the plant authorities to honour the agreement sparked tension as the labourers led by INTUC leader Bidyadhar Mohanty staged a sit-in. The agitators relented after the district administration called a meeting of various stakeholders and directed the authorities to provide gate pass to 34 of 68 labourers for work till the blast furnace no-1 becomes operational. Several labour leaders participated in the stir.