Raipur: The Bharat Aluminium Company (BALCO) employees union on May 14 demanded an inquiry by Central government into exploitation of workers and violation of service rules by the new management of BALCO at their Korba plant, even as the management rejected all the allegations.

"The new management of BALCO Sterlite, is unnecessarily changing service rules of over 5,000 employees and exploiting them by paying less wages than stipulated one," general secretary of BALCO Karmachari Sangh, alleged.

About 40 per cent production units and departments are either stopped or closed down and the employees are scared that either they will be dismissed or transferred, he alleged.

Giving details, Mishra said that the old management was paying double the wage per hour for retaining any worker for more than eight hours, which was changed by Sterlite management violating the Factory Act.

At certain departments, like alumina and pigcasting, the management instead of deploying sufficient work force are forcing each worker to do three worker's job, he alleged.

As per the service rule, if management wanted to down size the work force then it will have to open the voluntary retirement scheme, Mishra said.

Sterlite has 51 per cent share in the company, while Centre has the remaining shares.

PTI