The Hindu Business Line : Port workers to go on indefinite strike from Sept 15

Kochi, Aug 27 The representatives of five recognised federations of port and dock workers in major ports have unanimously decided to resort to an indefinite nationwide strike from September 15, as the Bipartite Wage Negotiating Committee meeting for wage revision failed to arrive at any settlement on Thursday.

Mr T. Narendra Rao, General Secretary, Water Transport Workers Federation of India, told Business Line that the managements of the ports, represented by the Indian Ports Association, had offered 18 per cent increase on the basic pay + dearness pay + DA, whereas the federations have been demanding that the 34 per cent of fitment acceptable on the same pattern as on January1, 2007. However, it was also not agreeable for the management side, he said.

Even though the federations had sought the intervention of the Union Shipping Minister for an amicable settlement through a letter earlier, there was no positive response from his side, he said.

Workers annoyed

According to Mr Rao, the existing settlement of the port and dock workers had expired on December 31, 2006 and the revised pay and other service conditions should have taken place with effect from January 1, 2007. The 20 rounds of discussion onwage revision and 30 months are already over. .

Under these circumstances, the federations are left with no option but to resort to nationwide strike to secure a fair wage settlement with 34 per cent fitment benefit on aggregate amount of basic pay + 78.2 per cent, he added.

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