Moton Mines Workers on Strike from 25th April

Moton Mines workers have threatened to stage a Dharna  and demonstration outside the company’s office (Yashad Bhawan) on 25 ^th April 2011. “Moton Mines Majdoor Sangh” has given notice to their parent body Hindustan Zinc Ltd. An erstwhile public sector Unit of the Government of India sold out to Vedanta Group after disinvestment in 2002 for not meeting their long pending demands. Lakshmi Lal Gehlot, Secretary of trade union has written a letter to CEO of Vedanta group about the declaration of Dharna on 25 ^th April. In the letter he mentioned that Hindustan Zinc forced 179 laborers of Moton Mines to fill up the forms which were actually VRS forms, as the Moton Mines was going to be shut down. However 23 workers did not fill up the form. Soon the retrenchment of workers was done by the management of Hindustan Zinc Ltd.  Two workers who headed for the court were later absorbed in 2006 in Rajpura Dariba Mines and Rampura Agucha Mines  at the direction of the court. The rest of the workers were in sticky wicket, as they led a life of poverty & insecurity for many years. It was a torture for every worker & his family. In 2009 Vedanta, which took over the disinvestment in March 2002, re started mining in Moton mines. According to the Industrial Disputes Act 1947 if a unit which had been closed is restarted, the employees who were removed in the name of closure need to be re-employed. Veganta group turned a deaf ear to that demand of workers to be re employed. The mines are running through a contractor who is a Congress leader Udai Lal Anjana sitting MLA from Nimbahera Constituency. Lakashmi Lal Gehlot has stated that the Govt. of India has so far not made any amendment in the labour laws to ignore the interest of workers. Vexed workers have thus announced a strike on 25 ^th April 2011. photo courtesy: hzlindia.com