Numaligarh Refinery drivers up in arms over low wages, demand 'equal pay for equal work'
The protesters alleged that despite working 12 hours a day, they were paid a meagre daily wage of Rs 400.
Dergaon, Feb 3: A mass protest was staged at the Numaligarh Refinery premises, where hundreds of motor drivers employed by the refinery raised their voices against the existing wage disparity and demanded equal pay for equal work on Sunday.
The protest meeting, presided over by Rintu Bardoloi, president of the Assam Motor Drivers' Association, Numaligarh branch, was attended by as many as 200 drivers.
The secretary of the Numaligarh Refinery Workers' Union, Dhruvajyoti Bora; the secretary of the Golaghat District Karikori Nibanuwa Santha Bhaskarjyoti Baruah; the secretary of the Golaghat District Committee of the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh David Thengal; and the vice-president of the Motor Owners' Association Taufiq Ahmed attended the protest programme.
The protesters alleged that despite working 12 hours a day, they were paid a meagre daily wage of Rs 400, while their counterparts employed directly by the refinery were paid Rs 775 for an eight-hour shift.
They demanded that the refinery management and the authorities concerned take immediate steps to address the wage disparity and ensure that all drivers were paid equal wages for equal work.
The drivers warned that if their demands were not met by February 18, they would launch a series of agitation programmes, including an indefinite strike, starting on February 19.They also cautioned that the Assam Motor Drivers' Association would not be responsible for any untoward incidents that might occur at the refinery premises.
By-
Correspondent