Guwahati, May 27: The indefinite sit-in by the employees’ union of ONGC’s Assam Asset completed seven days on Tuesday, with the protest continuing over nine unresolved demands, including restarting recruitment, reinstating overtime allowance, and regularising temporary staff.

The ONGC Purbanchal Employees’ Association (OPEA) began the sit-in on May 21 at the Assam Asset head office in Nazira, Sivasagar district, following earlier protests involving black badge wearing. The union stated that the ongoing agitation has not disrupted company operations.

“Our key demand is to restart the recruitment process, as outsourcing is depriving local youth of employment opportunities,” said OPEA General Secretary Sanjeeb Boruah.

He alleged that despite thousands of vacancies, recruitment has been stalled since 2023. Boruah also said that nearly 300 regular posts were sanctioned in 2022 for ONGC Assam Asset, Jorhat, and Silchar, but the recruitment process was halted for unclear reasons.

Boruah emphasized ONGC’s responsibility as a Maharatna company to support local employment, which he said is currently being overlooked.

Following the announcement of the protest, a team from ONGC headquarters held talks with the union on April 29, but no solution was reached.

A senior ONGC Assam Asset official declined to comment, describing the issue as an internal matter between management and the union.

The union has issued a notice for a hunger strike and warned of a tool-down strike if demands remain unaddressed.

Other demands include reinstating a 3-hour overtime allowance withdrawn from February 2025 without prior notice, regularising tenure-based field operators and paramedical staff with over two decades of service, ensuring timely provision of safety equipment, addressing delays in upgrading fire personnel posts, field duty expenditure for workshop employees, rising outsourcing, and discontinuation of certain medical facilities.