Pune: The jobs of nearly 10,000 registered Mathadi workers employed at government grain warehouses across Maharashtra have come under threat following a government order on direct transportation, prompting Maharashtra Legislative Council member and former Deputy Chairperson Dr Neelam Gorhe to intervene and seek urgent corrective action from the state government.

Gorhe visited the indefinite sit-in protest by government grain warehouse hamal and Mathadi workers outside the Council Hall in Pune on Wednesday and assured the workers that she would take up their employment concerns with the government. A meeting has been scheduled at Mantralaya on October 6 to discuss amendments to the April 24 government order and measures to safeguard the workers’ jobs.

The workers’ unions said the April 24 order had jeopardised the livelihood of around 10,000 registered Mathadi workers. They also pointed out that Food and Civil Supplies Minister Chhagan Bhujbal had assured them at a meeting on May 26 that no Mathadi worker would lose employment. However, the order has not yet been withdrawn or amended, they said.

As Bhujbal was reportedly unwell, Gorhe spoke by telephone with his private secretary, Dayanand Chincholikar, and discussed the workers’ demands.

Gorhe said the issue involved the workers’ livelihood and basic rights and stressed that the government must examine the discrepancies raised by the unions and resolve the matter after considering the relevant facts and documents.

She asked workers’ representatives to provide copies of the government order, decisions taken at previous meetings and documents related to court petitions before the October 6 meeting. These documents, she said, would help clarify the legal issues and strengthen the case for corrective action.

Gorhe also said she would raise the pending demands with Food and Civil Supplies Minister Chhagan Bhujbal and Labour Minister Akash Phundkar and, if required, take up the issue during the Nagpur legislative session.

The Joint Action Committee began its indefinite sit-in on September 28. Warehouse operations were suspended on the first day but resumed from September 29, with representatives from individual warehouses continuing to participate in the protest.