• Investment World
• eWorld
• Brand Line
• Mentor
• Life
• Brand Quest
• The New Manager
• BL Club
• Smartbuy

Stocks

• Quotes
• SE Diary
• Scoreboard
• Open-End Mutual Fund

Cross Currency

• Rates
  
  

Shipping

• Ports
  
  

Archives

• Yesterday
• Datewise
• Resources
• In Focus
• In Depth
• Events 2007

Group Sites

• The Hindu
• The Hindu ePaper
• Business Line
• Business Line ePaper
• Sportstar
• Frontline
• The Hindu eBooks
• The Hindu Images

V. Sajeev Kumar

Kochi, Nov. 3 The port and dock workers employed at all the major ports in the country are preparing for a nationwide agitation in protest against the inordinate delay in settling their demands for revision of wages and non-implementation of statutory settlement relating to productivity-linked bonus.

Mr S.R. Kulkarni, President of the All-India Port and Dock Workers’ Federation, said in a statement that the representatives of all the five recognised federations, irrespective of their political affiliation, will meet in Mumbai on November 13 and 14 to review the situation at all the major ports arising out of mounting unrest amongst the workers.

The workers are legitimately agitated because the management side has made no offer for finalising the wage settlement during the last 22 months. The new wage settlement will be effective January 1, 2007, he said.

During the course of negotiations of the Bipartite Wage Negotiating Committee (BWNC) at Kolkata on October 3 and 4, the management had informed the labour representatives of port and dock workers that they were unable to make any offer because of the guidelines issued by the Department of Public Enterprises under which the Minister of the employing Ministry has to decide the periodicity of the wage settlement.

Mr Kulkarni asked whether it is not the mockery of the principles of collective bargaining that the employing Minister will decide the periodicity of the wage settlement.

Under these circumstances and in view of the stalemate in the discussions between the management of major ports and the recognised federations, the labour representatives in he BWNC were left with no option but to boycott the proceedings of the BWNC, he added.

Now in the proposed meeting of the five recognised federations scheduled to be held in Mumbai next week, he said the federations will review the situation and take appropriate decision to chalk out the programme of action including industrial action to secure justice and early wage settlement of the charter of demands jointly submitted by the five recognised federations.

More Stories on : Trade & Labour Unions

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu Business Line