Nagpur News.
Over 400 employees working at Easypack Software Inc, a BPO firm located at Infotech Park in Parsodi near VRCE college here went on strike in protest against the company’s decision to shift the employees to the newly formed Easypack Software Pvt. Ltd. The employees have been sitting at the office gate since Thursday. They were opposed to the company’s move to get the resignation from the employees working for years and enrolling them as the new appointments.
Employees worried that this could hamper their positions and benefits of seniority, gratuity and provident funds. However the company has refuted the allegations saying that they are abiding by the rules and regulations and have all the papers in place. “The strike is completely illegal and holds no substance. Even the Labour Commissioner Mr Lakaswar has approved the agreement but the some of the employees were forcing most of the others not to sign that agreement”, Rahul Deshpande, Deputy Manager at Easypack told Nagpur Today.
The employees alleged that as the Easypack planned to transform into private limited company, the company management forcibly took the resignation of the employees and closed their PF and gratuity accounts, only to open new.
Sanjay Jaisingpure, Shift Incharge at Easypack has been working with the company for almost 10 years. He was asked to submit resignation and sign new appointment letter. “Now after having experience of 10 years we will have to go for probation all over again. We even have the issue of salaries. While those working for good 5 years are paid just marginally above the fresh employees,” Jaisingpure told Nagpur Today.
He informed that in a meeting on December 27, Labour Commissioner Lakaswar asked to arrive at the mutual agreement but the company made the agreement on their own and started taking signature of the employees.
He informed that moreover some of the employees who could not live up to the company’s expectations were deviated towards a hired recruitment agency Sabas Private Limited which further hired those employees to post them again at Easypack. “This way Easypack has smartly shunned responsibilities off its shoulders and shifted the appointments upon Sabas,” informed another striking employee.
He said, “We do not have any grudge against the company. We only want job security that should be with us and also there should be some solution to the compulsory probation for the experienced employees.”
Also the wages should be as per the company standards. “Sometimes we are even called on Sunday which is our holiday and not given any extra wages for that”, he said.
Deputy Manager Rahul Deshpande defended the company’s side. Detailing further he said that the employees had formed union under MNS through which some of the employees demanded multifold increase in the payments while we were perfectly paying under company norms set under labour law. Further as per the new DoT rules and regulations lease line would only be provided to private limited company. We are shifting the employees from Easypack Software inc. to Easypack Software Private Limited because now we have more work with latter company. “Actually what these employees are thinking that the agreement is through but it is not the case. Any media can come as see the papers. We are working in a transparent manner,” he said.
He said, around 8 to 10 meetings were held between employees and the management. The last important meeting was held with the Labour Commissioner in his chamber at the Labour Court. All the doubts and queries of the employees were cleared and the management of the company agreed to most of the demands and also nodded to redress most of their grievances. An agreement was drawn between both the parties – the management of Easypack and the MNS Kamgar Union. This agreement was okayed even by the Labour Commissioner who felt it was fair and good agreement. Nearly 225 employees signed the agreement.
However, Deshpande alleged that 25-30 employees felt that the salary hiked was not fair and should have been more. The number of employees rose to 50. These employees sat outside the office on strike. These striking employees are even said to be forcing other employees to shun work and stopping them from entering the office, he said.
Despande said had the company flouted any laws, the Labour Commissioner would have immediately pulled back its agreement. Deshpande clarified that because of the adamant attitude of a few 150 employees the jobs of 600 employees would be compromised and their future will get affected adversely. He also claimed to have all the legal documents to prove that the company has been more than favourable to the employees.
