Major port workers unions plan indefinite strike

Major port workers unions plan to go on an indefinite strike at all the 12 major ports on or after 30 May to press their demands, according to T Narendra Rao, general secretary of the Water Transport Workers’ Federation of India.

The national co-ordination committee of six federations of major port workers also decided to call for a nation-wide One-day protest strike on 28 May against “the casual attitude of the ministry of shipping and Indian Ports Association (IPA) in settling the demands of the port workers for revising the existing wage structure and other service conditions, including pensionary benefits with effect from January 2017 consequent to the expiry of the existing wage settlement”.

The IPA management and the government have “neglected repeated assurances given to the workers’ federations including amending the Major Port Authorities Bill and recognition of trade unions based on the recommendations of the parliamentary standing committee”.

“The IPA has also assured implementation of various statutory settlements, but so far none of the demands have been settled. The federations have been also demanding equal payment to contract workers performing similar nature of jobs and their regularization,” Rao said.