Report of Mazdoor Ekta Committee correspondent
On 4 May 2026, at the main gate of Tinplate Company of India Limited (TCIL), located in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand—one of the state’s major industrial centers—contract workers staged a protest under the banner of the Joint Trade Union for their long pending demands and submitted a memorandum to the Governor.
TCIL, a major subsidiary of the Tata Steel Group, controls more than 35% of the domestic market. It was established in 1920. Its main manufacturing plant is situated in Golmuri, Jamshedpur, Jharkhand. The company primarily produces packaging steel (tinplate) for food processing, paint, and aerosol products. Its current annual production capacity is approximately 3,79,000 metric tons. TCIL also manufactures tin-free steel (TFS) and cold-rolled steel, exporting about one-fourth of its products to international markets.
In its drive to maximize profits, TCIL has been outsourcing work and employing workers on a contractual basis, thereby subjecting them to greater exploitation.
The protesting workers stated that from August 2019 to October 2025, they were employed under contractor M/s A.B. Construction in the company’s nursery department (horticulture and maintenance). On 31 October 2025, 16 workers were suddenly dismissed. Although the nursery department contract was once again awarded to M/s A.B. Construction, the 16 dismissed workers were not reinstated, nor has their final settlement payment been made as per regulations.
The workers have issued a clear warning: if management fails to take appropriate action within 15 days regarding their reinstatement and pending payments, they will be forced to launch a larger movement.