Hall 7 Mess Workers

(For a more detailed report prepared by community members, see here.)

Brief outline of the incidence:

• • On July 2, 2010, three workers from the Hall 7 mess – Worker A, Worker B, and Worker C – were fired summarily.

  • The workers were given no notice, no reason for the loss of their jobs, not even a formal letter addressed to them telling them that their services have been terminated. Worker A was only informed orally about her dismissal by the Hall Office when she arrived for work on July 2, while Worker B found out he had been fired from the security officer at the Barasarohi Gate when he tried to enter IITK on July 3 (July 2 being his off day) – the security officer showed him a copy of the letter and told him that his Gate Pass to enter IITK was no longer valid.

  • On June 16, 2010, the mess manager of Hall 7 had sent a letter to the DOSA / COW Chairman which included names of six workers as those who had been retrenched.

  • The reason given for this ‘retrenchment’ refers to the fact that apparently, the mess contract only allows for 40 workers, but 49 have been working in the Hall 7 mess. Of these, 23 have worked there for several years under different contractors, while the remaining 24 are relatively new, with some of them having been hired merely two months ago.

  • As soon as this information was made available to the six concerned workers, they immediately met with the Hall Mess Secretary and asked him to intervene in the matter. At this point, the mess manager assured the Mess Secretary that there was no need for any retrenchment and the six workers listed in the June 16 letter continued to work without any break.

  • During the subsequent temporary absence of the Hall Mess Secretary, a meeting was held between the mess manager and the warden-in-charge and a letter effecting the retrenchment (of only three of the workers) was then issued on July 2, 2010, duly approved by the Hall President, and implemented immediately as recounted above.