On 15 September, a contract worker, working in National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) met with an accident while returning from work and died. He was also a member of the NHPC contract workers’ union (affiliated to AICCTU). Since the accident had taken place while returning from work, the union decided that the NHPC pay compensation to the deceased worker’s family and his dependent also be given a job. It was further decided that each Union member should deposit one day’s salary with the Union towards financial aid for the family.
On 21 September, however, it came to light that the Union President, Com. Uday Singh had been removed from work. The workers at Power House spontaneously left their duties and by the afternoon workers in the project’s residential colony, dam site and at the project headquarters had also left their duties. On 22 September a decision was taken to go on an indefinite strike till the reinstatement of the Union President and compensation paid to the family of the deceased worker. The strike went on for six days during which the NHPC management did not call the workers for talks but tried to break the strike in connivance with officials from permanent workers’ unions BMC and INTUC. Contract workers were denied NHPC bus services. NHPC cut the water and electricity connections in the Nigalpani housing colony and put the blame on the contract workers. The management also gave a complaint against the union officers in the Dharchula kotwali. At night attacks were made upon union members living in the colony and their tin sheds were stoned, after which a complaint was immediately registered with the police the following day. However, soon the momentum of the struggle and support received from various places forced the NHPC management to enter into dialogue with the contract workers’ union, district AICCTU leaders, trade union coordination committee members, CPI (ML) district leaders and others. The pressure built finally resulted in the management of NHPC agreeing to reinstate Union President Uday Singh and to take all necessary steps to assure compensation to the family of the deceased.
On fulfillment of their demands, the contract workers gathered at the Dharchula headquarters and after a gap of 1½ years the Dharchula tehsil was once again covered with red flags.
