A correspondent
NUMALIGARH: A mass protest was registered today at the Numaligarh Refinery premises, where hundreds of motor drivers employed by the refinery, raised their voices against the existing wage disparity and demanded equal pay for equal work. The protest meeting, presided over by Rintu Bardoloi, President of the Assam Motor Drivers’ Association, Numaligarh Branch, was attended by over 200 drivers.
The meeting was addressed by prominent leaders, including Dhruvajyoti Bora, Secretary of the Numaligarh Refinery Workers’ Union, Bhaskarjyoti Baruah, Secretary of the Golaghat District Karigori Nibanuwa Santha, David Thengal, Secretary of the Golaghat District Committee of the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, and Taufiq Ahmed, Vice-President of the Motor Owners’ Association. The drivers alleged that despite working for 12 hours a day, they were paid a meager daily wage of Rs 400, while their counterparts employed directly by the refinery were paid Rs 775 for an 8-hour shift. They demanded that the refinery management and the concerned authorities take immediate steps to address the wage disparity and ensure that all drivers were paid equal wages for equal work. The drivers warned that if their demands were not met within February 18, they would launch a series of agitation programs, including an indefinite strike, from February 19.
They also cautioned that the Assam Motor Drivers’ Association would not be responsible for any untoward incidents that might occur at the refinery premises. The protest meeting was a culmination of the drivers’ long-standing grievances against the refinery management and the concerned authorities, who they alleged had turned a deaf ear to their demands for equal pay and better working conditions.
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