Bongaigaon refinery contractual workers slam Centre’s labour codes as ‘anti-worker’

Guwahati, Nov 26: Contractual workers of the Bongaigaon Refinery staged a protest outside the refinery premises on Wednesday, voicing strong opposition to the Centre’s new labour codes.

Led by the Bongaigaon Workers’ Union, the workers demanded the immediate withdrawal of the recent government labour codes, calling the changes “anti-worker” and deeply harmful to contractual employees.

The protest saw workers raising concerns that the revised regulations would undermine long-standing labour protections, erode job security and reduce crucial entitlements.

“We oppose the notice issued on November 21. If this regulation is applied to workers, we will be forced to leave our workplace. Fixed-term employment will create serious problems for us. We will continue our protest until the regulation is withdrawn,” said Union secretary Dilip Roy, warning that the agitation would intensify if authorities failed to address their concerns.

Protesters expressed fears that the provisions would weaken their bargaining power and push them into even more precarious employment conditions.

“This is happening across the country, not just in Bongaigaon. Our rights are being crushed. We cannot form a union, nor do we receive any bonus,” Roy said.

He stressed that fixed-term employment would pose severe risks to refinery workers, restricting their right to unionise and depriving them of benefits such as bonuses.

While Wednesday’s agitation was centred in Bongaigaon, similar demonstrations were reported in several parts of the country, as labour groups united in opposing the same set of labour code regulations.

Unions have indicated that protests will continue until the government revisits the contested provisions.

Earlier on November 21, the government consolidated 29 labour laws into four comprehensive Labour Codes. These include the Code on Wages, 2019; the Industrial Relations Code, 2020; the Code on Social Security, 2020; and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020.

The four Codes were enacted following tripartite deliberations involving the Government, employers, industry representatives and various trade unions between 2015 and 2019.