Trade Union leader Bibhab Jena Urges Ministry of Mines to Address Employee Recruitment at Nalco

Trade Union leader Bibhab Jena Urges Ministry of Mines to Address Employee Recruitment at Nalco

Angul, 16/10 – Nalco’s newly elected recognized union of Captive Power Plant, the Nalco Shramik Congress Union, has raised an urgent demand for new employee recruitment to the Secretary of the Ministry of Mines, Mr. B.L. Kantharao. General Secretary, Mr. Bibhab Jena, emphasized that the core objective of public sector enterprises should be to prioritize local employment .

Mr. Jena highlighted that Nalco, the only government-owned aluminum company under the Government of India, is currently struggling due to a significant manpower shortage. Since 2014, there have been no new recruitments, and with around 3,000 retirements over the past decade, the factory’s operations, productivity, and production efficiency have been severely impacted. This shortage of skilled employees has led to maintenance issues at the 44-year-old plant, where timely and proper maintenance is not being conducted. Moreover, the lack of sufficient supervisory staff is creating additional challenges, as there are not enough supervisors to oversee maintenance activities.

The crisis is particularly acute at the Captive Power Plant (CPP), where the remaining employees are forced to work across 5-6 locations, leading to an overwhelming workload and a potential decline in operational efficiency. Filling these employee shortages is essential to securing the long-term sustainability of the CPP. Additionally, various statutory positions remain vacant, further exacerbating the problem.

As the only government-owned aluminum industry, Mr. Jena stressed that the government’s focus should be on fulfilling the primary objectives of public sector companies by ensuring that Nalco remains competitive and efficient. While the Ministry of Mines has issued directives to increase Nalco’s production capacity, Mr. Jena urged that recruitment of new employees should be carried out in proportion to this expansion. He reiterated the importance of prioritizing local employment, warning that reliance on contract labor to bridge the gap is not a viable long-term solution due to quality concerns.

In conclusion, Mr. Jena called on the Ministry of Mines to intervene and ensure that new employee recruitment is conducted at Nalco to alleviate the workforce shortage and secure its future stability.