The affiliated unions of Water Transport Workers’ Federation of India have observed National Demands Day at all the Major Ports in the country today urging the Shipping Ministry to constitute the Bipartite Wage Negotiation Committee instead of forming the Judicial Commission for the future wage revision and other service conditions to be given effect from January 1, 2012.
The Union also demanded that the draft bill on Indian Ports (Consolidated) Act 2011 to be submitted in the Parliament to enact it as legislation should be withdrawn as it would pave the way for corporatizing the major ports, which would further lead for privatization.
The other major long pending issues such as early settlement on Productivity Linked Reward (PLR); filling up of all the existing natural vacancies in major ports ; opposing the contract and outsourcing of perennial nature of jobs in the port sector; immediate implementation of the agreed items of the Categorization & Classification Committee recommendation ; early wage settlement for the Seafarers with Indian National Ship-owners Association for the period of 2010-12 and contract workers working in and around major ports must be paid minimum wages of Class-III & IV workers of Ports have also been represented to the Ministry by the affiliates.
Mr T.Narendra Rao, General Secretary of the Water Transport Workers Federation said that the Ministry had assured labour leaders after meeting that the BWNC would be reconstituted instead of Judicial Commission for pay revision. However, this has not yet been finalized as the existing settlement is going to expire on December 31. The existing PLR Scheme was expired on March 31, 2010 and a new PLR Scheme has to be evolved in consultation with the five major labor federations that has to be given effect from April 1, 2010, he said.