‘This Time, We Won’t Back Down’: NIT Silchar Workers Announce Hunger Strike From August 27

Contractual muster roll workers of the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Silchar will resume their hunger strike from August 27, demanding regularisation of their jobs and implementation of a Gauhati High Court order concerning their service conditions.

The decision was announced by the NIT Workers’ Union on Monday, August 17, after the workers said they had received no positive response on their demands despite an assurance given during a meeting on August 13.

The union said its protest, which began on August 10, has two parts. Five workers observe the hunger strike, while other members support the protest on the ground. The union has now decided that five workers will again sit on hunger strike from August 27, in rotation.

On August 13, Borkhola MLA Kishore Nath visited the protesting workers and held discussions with their representatives and the institute’s director. According to the workers, Nath expressed support for their protest but requested them to temporarily withdraw the hunger strike in view of the Independence Day celebrations on August 15.

The workers said the protest itself was not withdrawn and that they were informed that the hunger strike would resume from August 27 if their demands were not addressed.

According to the union, no positive development has been communicated to them between August 13 and August 17, particularly regarding the implementation of the Gauhati High Court order.

The workers are primarily demanding regularisation of their jobs and implementation of the court’s directions. They claim that many of the 54 muster roll workers have been serving NIT Silchar for several decades, with some having worked at the institute since the early 1990s.

The union has previously claimed that the High Court order concerns the regularisation of muster roll workers and extension of benefits available to permanent employees. These are claims made by the workers’ union, and the institute’s position on the interpretation and implementation of the order has not been provided in the material available for this report.

One of the workers’ representatives said that if their demands are not addressed, the protest will continue. He further said the workers are determined to continue the hunger strike and that, from August 27, they would not withdraw it merely on the basis of assurances.

The workers have also highlighted the length of their service, saying that several employees have spent decades working at NIT Silchar without receiving permanent status. They said some workers have retired, while others have died without seeing their demand for regularisation fulfilled.

The union has maintained that its demand is for recognition and regularisation after decades of service, rather than any additional benefit.

With the fresh hunger strike scheduled to begin on August 27, the focus now shifts to whether NIT Silchar authorities and the administration take steps to address the workers’ demands before the renewed protest begins.