MANISH GUPTA
Ranchi, Nov 12: State-run Heavy Engineering Corporation Ltd (HEC), which is facing a workers’ strike since November 3 for having failed to pay salaries to its employees for about a year, has planned to settle some of it by recovering its dues in the market.
“As we have not got any assurance for financial support from the Ministry of Heavy Industries, we plan to clear the salaries through outstanding recoveries,” said a senior official of six-decade-old, loss-making corporation on condition of anonymity.
It may be noted that considering the tense situation after about 400 workers and officers went on an indefinite dharna at the entry gates of HEC, some senior officials including its Marketing Director Dr Rana S Chakravarty rushed to Delhi to “get instructions”.
On his return on Friday, Chakravarty is learnt to have updated the protesting workers that the ministry has rejected any infusion of funds either for revival of the company or for paying off the dues. The workers have decided to continue with their strike.
While the 2,600 employees, including the contractual workers, have got no official assurance, sources in the company said that the management is planning to resolve the issue of pending salaries and resume the production activities at the earliest.
Another positive development for the corporation and its employees is that soon HEC will have two new Directors – one for Finance and another for Production. This gives hope for the continuity of the company whose properties are getting evaluated.
The employees resent the fact that HEC’s CMD Dr Nalin Shinghal, who is mainly in-charge of Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL), rarely comes to Ranchi and seems to have “already written off” HEC even as the Centre talked about its revival till last year.
The city-based firm has 1,200 permanent employees and 1,480 contractual labourers. While most of them are staying away from work, about 400 including some officers have been protesting. The workers under different trade unions have joined hands.
