# Noonmati refinery workers seek ESI ceiling hike to Rs 45,000 2026-08-20T16:07:22+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Members of the United Workmen Union at Noonmati refinery protested on Thursday demanding that the wage ceiling for Employees' State Insurance (ESI) benefits be raised from Rs 21,000 to Rs 45,000. Union general secretary Girish Kalita said workers earning above the existing ceiling are denied health coverage despite working in hazardous conditions. The union warned that if the ceiling is not revised, the refinery must provide adequate medical facilities. Protesters also alleged that management is replacing local workers with cheaper contract labour from outside the region, terminating them after projects end. They demanded priority for local workers and adherence to government-mandated wage provisions. Allegations of irregularities in Provident Fund procedures were also raised, with claims that workers are misled into signing Form 11 stating they do not need PF benefits. Kalita urged Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to intervene and warned of intensified agitation if demands are not met. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The Rs 21,000 ESI wage ceiling was last revised in 2017 and has not kept pace with inflation or industrial wages in Assam's oil sector. The demand for Rs 45,000 reflects the actual earnings of many skilled workers in refineries. ESI coverage provides hospitalisation, maternity, and disability benefits, exclusion leaves workers in hazardous jobs without a safety net. The refinery, a subsidiary of Indian Oil Corporation, employs around 2,500 workers directly. The union's allegations about contract labour and PF irregularities point to broader issues in Assam's industrial labour market, where local hiring commitments often clash with cost-cutting. The next step will be the state government's response or a potential conciliation meeting under the Industrial Disputes Act. ## Coverage - assamtribune.com Straight news report, leads with union demand and quote, no government or management response included This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Employees' State Insurance, Himanta Biswa Sarma, Indian Oil Corporation, United Workmen Union Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/noonmati-refinery-workers-seek-esi-ceiling-hike-to-rs-45000/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/noonmati-refinery-workers-seek-esi-ceiling-hike-to-rs-45000/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/