Orind employees to continue sit-in

ROURKELA: The employees of the defunct refractory plant Orind have described the assurances given to them following Wednesday’s high-level meeting as an ‘ambrosia’. Government sources, however, claimed the meeting was successful and hoped the crisis would blow over in a month’s time.Notwithstanding the government’s assurance to find out the exact figure of outstanding dues and solve other legal issues, the employees have decided to continue the sit-in at the District Labour Office in Rourkela.   Orissa AITUC working president Pravat Mishra said although the talks moved in a positive direction, his registered union Lathikata Mazdoor Union was unsure as to how far the government would succeed in sorting out the problem. He said it was like an “ambrosia” for the employees and decided to wait for a week before deciding the next course of action with other unions.Meanwhile, the ruling party MLA Subrat Tarai said it was a highly successful meeting. “The Orind plant and properties are entangled in legal disputes and the government has started clearing the legal hurdles,” he said.Tarai added that the Chief Secretary would preside over another such meeting after a week.