Operations at the Jawahar Thermal Power Project (JTPP) have been disrupted again due to a wage dispute. This time, manpower company employees and workers have stopped work due to four months of unpaid wages.
Power Plant: The Jawahar Thermal Power Project (JTPP) in Eta district, Uttar Pradesh, is once again in the spotlight due to worker unrest and a wage dispute. On Monday, dozens of manpower company workers at the project site went on strike, stating they would not return to work until their four-month-delayed wages were paid.
No Pay, No Work: Workers' Clear Message
The workers allege they haven't received their wages for the past four months. These workers are employed through manpower company NS and work under the South Korean firm Doosan. Doosan is the main contractor for the construction of the Jawahar Thermal Power Project and has outsourced work to several manpower agencies.
Approximately a month and a half ago, workers staged a strike over delayed wage payments. A temporary solution was reached then, with the intervention of the administration resulting in some payment. However, the same situation has arisen again, with workers from a different manpower company halting work. Work was completely stopped for about two hours on Monday, creating a tense atmosphere at the plant. Although management and manpower company officials arrived on the scene and tried to persuade the workers, they were unsuccessful.
Outstanding Wages and an Uncertain Future Anger Workers
Workers on strike told the media that the company continues to give misleading assurances of "soon receiving wages," but the reality is that several workers have left the plant without receiving their dues. One worker said, "We are only demanding the price of our sweat. We haven't received wages for four months, and we can't bear it anymore. The company now wants to make us work by creating fear of layoffs."
Strike May Gain Wider Support
While Monday's protest was limited to one manpower company, there are concerns that the movement may expand after discussions with other workers' unions and companies. Workers say that if their demands are not met, they will go on a complete strike from Tuesday.
Once again, the root cause of the dissatisfaction is the same – a conflict over payments between Doosan and the manpower companies. Manpower companies claim that Doosan has withheld their payments, preventing them from paying the workers. On the other hand, Doosan claims it has made all payments on time. The workers, whose livelihoods are caught in this dispute, are bearing the brunt of this "blame game."
Administration's Role Remains Limited
On this issue, Ajay Katiyar, General Manager of the Jawahar Thermal Power Project, said that this matter is between the manpower companies and the workers. The thermal plant management cannot interfere, but we are monitoring the situation. However, the workers say that when communication breaks down between the company and the workers, it becomes the moral responsibility of the management to intervene.
