ONGC Assam staff protest enters 8th day over jobs, pay, safety

The indefinite sit-in protest by the ONGC Purbanchal Employees' Association (OPEA) at the Assam Asset headquarters in Nazira entered its eighth day on Tuesday, with the union firm on its nine-point charter of demands. 

Despite a week of agitation, there has been no breakthrough in talks between the employees' union and the management of the Maharatna PSU.

The protest, which began with black badge demonstrations before escalating to a full-fledged sit-in from May 21, has not yet disrupted ONGC operations, the union said. 

However, OPEA has warned of an impending escalation — including a hunger strike and a ‘tool-down’ protest — if their demands remain unaddressed.

“Our top priority is to restart the recruitment process. The management’s continued outsourcing is depriving local youths of job opportunities,” said OPEA General Secretary Sanjeeb Boruah. He alleged that though around 300 regular union-category posts were sanctioned in 2022 for ONGC units in Assam, the recruitment process was abruptly stalled in 2023.

Boruah criticised the management for undermining ONGC’s responsibility toward local employment generation and highlighted the union’s concerns over the cancellation of the longstanding 3-hour overtime allowance from February 2025. “Over 1,000 employees and their families have been impacted by this arbitrary and unnotified move,” the union said in a public statement, calling it a blow to workers’ livelihoods.

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Among other demands, the union is seeking the regularisation of tenure-based field operators (TBFO) and paramedical staff who have served for over 20 years, improvement in workplace safety through timely provision of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), and addressing the delay in the upgradation process for Class IV fire personnel.

The union also flagged the growing trend of privatisation and outsourcing, withdrawal of some medical benefits, and discrepancies in the field duty expenditure (FDE) given to central workshop staff.

A team from ONGC’s headquarters had visited Assam on April 29 for discussions, but the impasse remains. A senior ONGC Assam Asset official declined to comment, terming the issue an “internal matter between the union and management.”

With the protest showing no signs of abating, the pressure is mounting on ONGC to respond meaningfully before the union escalates its agitation in the coming days.