Cuttack, 18th Aug 2025: The problems of hostel workers at Ravenshaw University remain unresolved. They neither receive minimum wages nor have access to housing facilities. While some have retired and others have passed away waiting for their rights, the basic issues of the employees are still neglected. The university authorities have not taken any concrete steps to address their plight.
Despite running from the Labour Office to the Labour Court, the workers have found no relief. From hostel maintenance to mess management, all responsibilities fall on them. Yet, for many years, they have been working with meager salaries that are insufficient to sustain their families.
Ravenshaw University has 13 hostels—seven for boys (Dharmpada, East, West, New PG, Lalitgiri, New Hostel, and Jagannath Hostel) and six for girls (Kathajodi, Mahanadi, Daya, Bhargavi, Parija, and Devi). More than 3,600 students live as boarders in these hostels. While 170 staff members are required for hostel administration and upkeep, only 115 are presently employed, out of which more than 65 are women workers. Retired staff are not being replaced, and the existing employees are reportedly being ignored.
The workers allege that they are not being paid wages according to the government’s prescribed daily minimum wage. They work full 8-hour shifts, manage mess operations, perform night-watch duties, and even assist sick boarders in getting medical care, but their contribution remains unrecognized. Many have to rent houses outside the campus, which, with a salary of only ₹8,000, leaves little to support their families.
Although workers have repeatedly approached the Vice-Chancellor, Registrar, and Hostel Chief Warden, they have only received assurances.
Prakash Das, President of the Ravenshaw Hostel Workers’ Association, said: “We are agitating for wages fixed by the government. We have submitted written demands to the authorities, but even after all this, no one is listening to the suffering of the workers. If no action is taken soon, we will be forced to adopt the path of agitation.”