Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The employees of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) are losing all hope of getting their Diwali bonus this year despite protesting against the management for more than over week.
Talking to Free Press on Saturday, the employees claimed that the management didnít meet them even once to discuss their grievances.
All three representative units of BHEL employees - National Labours' Congress, Bharatiya Majdoor Sangh (BMS) and All India BHEL Employees Union are protesting with a list of demands that include Diwali bonus, incentive, T3, night allowance, term insurance of Rs 1 crore, PP bonus, SIP bonus and restarting all three canteens that have been shut. They have also been demanding to restart appointments on compassionate grounds for kin of deceased employees.
More than 5,000 employees arrived for work with black ribbons tied on their hands. An employee at BHEL and president of BMS, Vijay Kathait, said, "The management used to call meeting every year ahead of Diwali to discuss bonus. But this year, they have not only neglected Diwali bonus but are also adamant on depriving workers of other essential allowances."
"We were expecting a meeting or a notice on Saturday, but nothing came. Diwali is only a couple of days away and we have lost all hope. We will keep protesting, however," he added.
The general secretary of BMS, Kamlesh Nagpure, said, "We are protesting peacefully but that doesnít mean that we are not serious about our demands. None of the officials from the management responded to our calls."
The BHEL spokesperson Raghavendra Shukla said, "Diwali bonus is decided after a meeting with management and representatives from employeesí unions. No such meeting has been called, so no amount has been decided."
