Stall retrenchment orders

VADODARA, June 16: Employees of the Operations Research Group ORG Systems have asked State Labour Minister Ashok Bhatt to direct the Labou...

VADODARA, June 16: Employees of the Operations Research Group ORG Systems have asked State Labour Minister Ashok Bhatt to direct the Labour Commissionerate to stall the retrenchment orders of 45 employees.

In two letters written to the Minister on June 2 and 12, secretary of the ORG Systems Staff Association Indravadan Patel alleged that the company had issued notices to retrench workers, even those with 20 years of service, at the behest of the collaborating Danish company Data Dense Electronics Limited, 8220;with the prime motive of profiteering.8221;

The company had issued notices to employees in the categories of engineers, technical staff and 18 peons on July 21, and agreed to pay them compensation under section 25 n 1 b of the Industrial Disputes Act.

Patel alleged that the collaborating company was dictating terms to the company 8212; which has an annual turnover of Rs 37 crores and profit of Rs 24 lakhs 8212; and planned to replace the staff with contract labour.

Patel stated that they would move the labour commissioner soon and threatened to go on strike if their demands were not met. Patel claimed that their action would affect the working of the Indian Airlines, Air India, IPCL, GACL, and other national companies as they have their annual maintenance contract with the company .

DDE-ORG has in the notices said the company was compelled to retrench them as the employees were redundant. Their production of computers had dropped during the past three years, it said, adding the company was unable to compete with other computer companies following globalisation and the crash in computer prices, and hence had taken to trading.

The company has 207 employees in the city, out of the total 497 in the country.

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Meanwhile, representatives of Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel and State Industries Minister Suresh Mehta on Tuesday assured the union representatives of doing the needful to 8220;enable them get justice,8221; according to Patel. Patel said on Tuesday that the union had met the Chief Minister in Gandhinagar and submitted a memorandum demanding his intervention in pursuing the Labour Commissonerate to cancel the retrenchment orders. Patel said members also met Labour Commissioner Vaghela in Ahmedabad on Monday.