Ranchi: The Heavy Engineering Corporation Ltd (HEC) has banned its employees from bringing their smartphones to the office for ‘security reasons’, according to a statement issued by the PSU on Thursday.
New rules will come into force since September 30 and employees can, however, bring a keypad cellphone that does not have a camera in it.
HEC Notification, signed by the Manager (Personnel and Administration) Prashant Kumar, said, “To maintain the safety and security of employees and documents / processes and to avoid disruption in production activities, management must ban the use of smartphones.
From September 30 to further orders.” Using smartphones at work will be treated as an act of violations and disciplinary actions / administration will begin on violators, the next notification is said.
The prohibition applies to permanent staff, contract workers, trainees and even visitors.
However, the director, head of vigilance, general manager, is responsible for operations, and shops, departments and support divisions have been excluded from the Order.
PSU officials have explained that the prohibition has been introduced experiments and its effectiveness will be reviewed next month.
When asked, officials said the idea of enforcing a smartphone ban appeared during the Secretary of the Union Ministry of Heavy Industries Arun Goel visited HEC on September 13.
Many workers are seen photographing exhibitions and production processes.
Photography in HEC plants is very prohibited and because workers violate the norm, management decides to enforce a ban.
The prohibition aroused a mixed response from trade unions.
While the HEC HEC project union affiliated with INTU (HPWU) said the notification as ‘inappropriate’ and ‘ridiculous’, HEC-Affiliates HEC HATA MAZDOOR Union (HMU) welcomed the ban and said that it was a step taken towards that right since then.
Many workers are engaged in the production of wasting time by scrolling social media, thus affecting production and productivity.
“HEC faces a serious cash crisis at this time, which affects a melodious work order.
Even the workers have not been paid for five months.
In difficult times such, workers are often found wasted time on smartphones.
The prohibition will provide a boost for production, “said President HMU Bhawan Singh.
The Secretary General of HPWU Rana Sangram Singh, on the other hand appealed to the management of HEC to reconsider his decision.
“I do not understand the reason behind prohibiting smartphones at work.
Everything today is done with the help of a smartphone.
Workers take it connected with the world outside.
Although HEC has not forbidden a basic telephone, but workers cannot buy two or more phones for themselves Own and subject to additional fees, “said Singh.
HEC prohibits staff from carrying smartphones to work
