SHILLONG, April 6: A large chunk of the Mawmluh Cherra Cement Limited (MCCL) employees have pushed the state government to revive the Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) as most of them, on the verge of superannuating, are keen to opt for VRS.
“The VRS or golden handshake should be revived for employees, who are keen to avail the scheme. A similar exercise can be revived again like it was done in 2017,” Shanlang Lyngdoh, general secretary of Mawmluh Cherra Cement Employees Union (MCCEU), an umbrella organisation of MCCL employees, told reporters here on Wednesday.
Lyngdoh also raised the plight of employees stating that they should get their normal salaries and all their dues. Besides the issue of salaries, the employees are yet to be paid arrears, revision and overtime payments since 2013.
He warned the state government to address the employees’ grievances at the earliest before they resolve to agitate again.
It may be mentioned that salaries for more than 300 workers for a single year would amount to around Rs 20 crore, and the MCCL has over 300 permanent employees.
Lyngdoh informed that they have not been paid since 2020 except for ‘relief’ payments of around 5 per cent of the typical salary.
According to him, the employees are required to attend offices even though the plant is yet to function.
“We would like the government to take immediate steps for the normal functioning of the plant at the earliest,” the union’s general secretary said.
Talking about their hardships, Lyngdoh said, “We waited for so long for the government to take immediate steps in this matter but now even the expression of interest (EOI) for the joint venture is yet to be floated,” Diengdoh said.
The delay is causing more hardships, he lamented.
