OIL misleading people: AASU

DIBRUGARH, January 21: Reacting sharply to a covert campaign by the public sector Oil India Limited (OIL) on the employment of 300 unskilled workers by the company, the Dibrugarh district AASU unit today blamed OIL for being "insincere to promises" and warned the oil company to desist from its mischievous acts. Speaking to this correspondent, the district AASU leaders here, Diganta Saikia and Hiteswar Phukan said the students' organisation never asked for any "quota" in the proposed employment of 300 workers. They added that OIL in 1990 had promised that the company would issue employment notices to 200 unskilled workers each year for the next five years, so that a thousand unskilled persons were provided with jobs. This has not happened, and in the meanwhile, the company's public relations department resorted to excuses to wriggle out of the situation borne out of false assurances. Though AASU has been associated with the demand for recruiting workers, we have never set a quota on the company, says Diganta Saikia, president of AASU's Dibrugarh district committee. He added that the rumour to this effect was circulated by officials of OIL's public relations department, in cooperation with "anti-Assam" elements within the company. The AASU leaders also come down heavily on the civil administration here for not showing "enough interest" in the matter and thereby delaying the issue. The students want that the employment should go to eligible persons living in the company's operational areas (undivided Lakhimpur district and present Sivasagar district). They are also demanding that whoever is asking for "quotas" should be identified and suitable action be taken. There have of late been reports in the media (not The Assam Tribune) that some organisations and surrendered militants are asking for "quotas" in OIL's proposed employment of unskilled workers. The AASU has threatened to launch another agitation if OIL keeps the employment issue alive by resorting to shrewd delaying tactics.