GAIL black badge protest against management
Upset at management "insensitivity," GAIL officers wore black badges on October 16 (2024) in protest at work centres and facilities.
That evening, GAIL Officers' Association (GOA) president Eldtho T Mathew emailed colleagues saying: "Our symbolic way of conveying resentment against the growing insensitivity of corporate management in general and corporate HR in particular towards employee-related issues has been a grand success." Mathew stressed that almost all GAIL's locations across India participated.
"That the officers are sought to be brought down to the level of beggars is evident from the pendency of various issues such as non-resolution of grade anomalies, ECO (extra compensation)-related issues, qualification-related issues, and non-formulation of a transfer policy even after 40 years," he added. GOA has met management repeatedly over the past few years.
"Every time we are told that these issues will be addressed, but nothing happens," says a source. In his email, Matthew claims that GAIL officers are "treated like doormats, at the same time expecting them to fight like gladiators; today, through the black badge, the officers proclaimed a big NO to such attitudes."
Mathew extolled the "power of non-violent tools" to allow firm communication "without bitterness and hatred." He assured his fellow officers that "GOA would approach all forums in our struggle against unprofessionalism and arbitrariness to safeguard officers' interests and take GAIL to more glorious peaks."
Nearly a year ago, GOA met company chairman Sandeep Gupta and HR director Ayush Gupta on November 10 (2023), seeking a 'time-bound rotational transfer policy' while fine-tuning the promotions policy. During the two-hour meeting, chairman Gupta assured GOA a new transfer policy would be introduced within months.
"Nothing has happened yet," says a source. On October 14 (2024), GAIL executive director HR Hirdesh Kumar sent a three-page email to officers asking them to stay away from the GOA black badge protest.
"Keeping in view the number of initiatives that the management has taken in the last two years and several others which are under process to be rolled out for the betterment of systems and procedures and employee welfare, as was shared in our previous communication dated August 2 (2024) with all of you, we see no reason for holding any such (black badge protest) programme at this stage," Kumar wrote.