Port dock workers defer protest on the intervention of Shipping Secretary

The proposed protest by the federations of port and dock workers has been deferred to Septermber 5 to be held before the Transport Bhavan in the Capital after a meeting with the Shipping Secretary. The five federations involved in the proposed protest are Water Transport Workers Federation of India, All India Port and Dock Workers’ Federation, All India Port and Dock Workers’ Federation (W), Indian National Port and Dock Workers ‘Federation and Dock and Waterfront Workers’ Federation of India. The Shipping Secretary had called for the meeting to thrash out the long pending issues like payment of productivity linked  reward for the year 2010-11, the settlement of the payment of bonus from 2011-12 to 2013-14. The Secretary is said to have given hope to the union leaders that the Government would implement the recommendations of Afzul Purkar committee’s report dealing with categorization and classification of port workers of all the major ports. Mr. T.Narendra Rao, General Secretary of the Water Transport Workers Federation of India, said that the Shipping Secretary had also agreed to the proposal of strengthening the autonomy of the Port Trust Boards.

www.sagarsandesh.com