SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, May 22: Fertilizer Corporation of India Limited (FCIL) VSS (Voluntary Separation Scheme) Employees Welfare Association (FCIL VSSEWA), the frontal body of 2063 former employees, has decided to protest the review appeal of the management in labour court against gratuity payment.
The court of Assistant Labour Commissioner (Central) Dhanbad has ruled for gratuity payment to FCIL Sindri unit’s former employees. But local Sindri FCIL management has filed a review appeal in the Assistant Labour Commissioner (ALC) court against the payment order.
On Sunday evening, the FCIL VSS Employees Welfare Association held a meeting under its president Sewa Singh and decided to fight against the appeal of the management in the court on the gratuity payment order.
The government of India shut down the FCIL Sindri plant on December 2, 2002. Over 2026 employees were given VSS. After the closure of the FCIL, the management was paying interim ex-gratia of Rs 750, Rs 1000 and Rs 1500 to 2026 VSS employees against salary. But it did not pay its gratuity to employees.
The FCIL VSS Employees Welfare Association appealed in ALC court Dhanbad against non-payment of gratuity and also requested the Assistant Labour Commissioner to hold court in Sindri keeping the age and ailment of 2026 VSS employees in mind.
The ALC held court in Sindri on March 24, 2017, and reserved an order after hearing both sides’ lawyers (VSS employees and FCIL management). Due to Corona pandemic the labour court kept the order reserved.
However, on April 27, 2023, the ALC Court directed the FCIL management to pay the gratuity to 2026 VSS employees of the Sindri unit.
FCIL VSS Employees Welfare Association president Sardar Sewa Singh said that employees have high hope from the ALC court to get justice and April 27, 2023 order would be maintained.
