6 years on,BSNL gives arrears to underpaid labourers

In June 2007,with the help of the trade union,Anchu Katara and 54 other labourers had filed a claim petition against Raj Electric Works — a contractor hired by

BSNL at that time,which was later blacklisted — and the General Manager of BSNL’s Rajkot Telecom District.

The petitioners had claimed that they were paid below the minimum wage for their cable-laying and trench-digging work at Gondal town in Rajkot,and had demanded the difference in wages,which amounted to Rs 3.1 lakh.

The case dragged on for almost three years till April 21,2010,when BSNL representatives said the company was willing to pay Rs 1.5 lakh as arrears — an amount it had recovered from the contractor.

The remaining amount could not be paid since the contractor had already completed the work,they argued.

The applicants agreed to the amount,conceding “there was no hope to get the full amount of the claim even after a long time”,said the court order,dated May 12.

The order was signed by Gyanendra Singh,Authority under the Minimum Wages Act,1984,and Regional Labour Commissioner (Central),Ahmedabad.

The first disbursal of arrears took place in Rajkot on June 3,where 17 labourers received their pending wages.

The disbursal in Ahmedabad on Tuesday was the second. As of now,20 labourers are yet to receive the payment,which should be done in a month’s time. In effect,a little over Rs 2,700 is for each labourer.