Jeypore: After four long years, the provident fund (PF) deposits of workers from Sewa Paper Mill have finally been transferred to the Regional PF Office in Brahmapur. A total amount exceeding Rs22 crores, belonging to 1,222 employees, has been shifted from the Thapar PF Trust in Kolkata to Brahmapur.
As a result, workers will now be able to access their hard-earned savings, and retired or deceased workers’ families will be able to avail pension benefits. It is noted that on February 26, 2020, Sewa Paper Mill, under the Thapar Group, was secretly sold to ARTH Resource Pvt. Ltd., a Hyderabad-based company. The very next day, on February 27, 2020, a new PF account was opened at the Brahmapur Regional PF Commissioner’s Office.
Since then, it was expected that all future PF contributions would go to Brahmapur instead of the earlier KCIT Trust. However, the funds previously deposited in the KCIT Trust could not be transferred due to administrative and legal issues. Moreover, the new company tried to manipulate the workers’ revised pay scales and contributed PF accordingly.
Later, following directives from the Central PF Commissioner to manage the workers’ dues properly and a subsequent official letter demanding immediate resolution, the company was compelled to revert to the old basic pay, DA (Dearness Allowance), and VDA (Variable Dearness Allowance) structure and fulfill PF obligations accordingly.
For the transfer of the workers’ PF from the Kolkata Regional PF Office, legal approval was needed, which caused additional delays. The Central Board of Trustees of the EPFO (Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation), where AITUC (All India Trade Union Congress) National Secretary Mr. Sukumar Damle is a representative, raised this issue on behalf of the distressed workers. Following his intervention, the Kolkata office sought all supporting documents for the transfer.
Since 2010, workers and unions have persistently campaigned for this cause. Workers and family members of deceased employees staged road blockades, protests, and demonstrations several times. They have now extended their gratitude to Mr. Vijay Jena, State General Secretary of AITUC, and CBT Member Mr. Sukumar Damle for their efforts.
The leadership of the First Union — President Mr. Pramod Kumar Mahanti, General Secretary Mr. Pradeep Panjea, and from the Second Union — Executive President Mr. Bansidhar Mahakud, and General Secretary Mr. Saroj Suar, stated that efforts to resolve PF issues, pending since April 2020, will continue until full resolution is achieved.