PSUs in the oil sector seek info on caste, faith, constituency of staff
PSUs in the oil sector seek info on caste, faith, constituency of staff Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd, Indian Oil Corporation Ltd and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd have sought information on the caste and religion, among other personal details. The detail is being sought of over 10 lakh workers at various retail filling stations and LPG agencies in India. They have been asked to fill forms that also ask for the parliamentary constituency each employee belongs to. On completion of the exercise, each worker will get skill certification and Rs 500 will be deposited in his or her bank account. In a letter to each of the three companies, Paramjit Singh Doaba, president, Petrol Pump Dealers Association, Punjab, has written: “This is a serious breach of our rights as well as the rights of our employees. The information sought is a direct affront to the privacy and dignity of our employees where their religion, caste and annual household income are sought. Only the GoI and its agencies through government notification are authorised to collect this information, and we are neither authorised nor in a position to ask for such information from our employees as this would directly affect their right to privacy under the Fundamental Right of Freedom.” Gurmeet Monty Sehgal, spokesperson for the Petrol Pump Dealers Association (PPDA), Punjab said, “Are they mapping our employees for a poll database? We as employers are only responsible to the state Labour Department, the ESI and EPF Department.” “Most of the employees have been working for years. Even as they are highly skilled as they deal with inflammable material, they do not have any certification. We will be providing certification under the ‘Prior Learning Programme’ of the HSSC,” Dubey explained. -PTC News
