Historic Victory of Mluru Port Shipping Companies Workers’ Unity and Strike Struggle!
Mangaluru: Addressing the media persons Shankar V- National Vice-president of All India Port Workers Federation (AIPWF) said, “NMPT has agreed to Instruct Shipping Companies to Comply with labour laws on wages, welfare and other statutory requirements! 19 Companies of Stevedores, C&F Agents and Shipping Companies Agree to All Demands of Workers! Workers and Union Agree for 60 Days Time-frame Sought by employers for Implementation! Mangalore Port Shipping Companies Workers Strike is Temporarily Withdrawn after 9 Days, from late evening of 06 Feb 2018! The General Body meeting of all workers of AIPWF – AICCTU of 19 companies, held in the late evening of 06 Feb. 2018, after a day-long marathon conciliation process, unilaterally decided to temporarily withdraw the historic 9-days long Strike and decided to report for duty immediately on the following morning (08.02.2018) as advised by the Deputy Chief Labour Commissioner (Central), Mr Subramanian and as requested by employers of 15 companies.”
“The employers’ acceptance was recorded by the Dy CLC-C as a part of Minutes of the Meeting. The conciliation process will follow to make it a comprehensive Memorandum of Settlement under Sec. 12(3) of Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 within a time-frame of 60 days. Following are essential points of The Minutes of the Conciliation Meeting as agreed by the employers on 06 Feb. 2018: 1. Wage Slips are issued by some companies, other companies too will do the same. 2. Payment of Salary through bank 3. Wage increase in every April and during Ayudha Puja every year following practice of the past in each company. 4. Strict implementation of applicable labour laws and statutory provisions, including ESI and PF and strictly following applicable rules and regulations. 5. 60 days time-frame to study existing salary structures and to take suitable action on the matter. 6. The employers agreed, in principle, to meet workers representatives to resolve workers’ grievances.” added Shankar.
He further said, ” On concluding the conciliation meetings with all the parties, Deputy Chief Labour Commissioner issued a written advice to all parties to the dispute. He advised New Mangalore Port Trust management to issue instructions to all Agencies and Companies working in the Port, including these employers, to strictly comply with all laws concerning the welfare, wages and other statutory requirements in respect of the workers employed by them as per the mail sent by NMPT to the Ministry of Shipping dated 31.01.2018 bearing No. 43/05/2018/PLA.1 The written advisory to the employers stated: “All the employers are advised not to victimize any of the workers or to change the working conditions of workers adversely or to take any action against their interest. They are also advised to withdraw the notices issued by some individual companies to some of the employees unconditionally. They are also advised to withdraw all cases filed against workers.”
” He further advised our Union to withdraw the strike. He advised all parties to this dispute to maintain peace and harmony and cooperate towards the early settlement of all issues through conciliation proceedings, within two months. Based on acceptance of all demands by the company managements and the subsequent advise by the Dy CLC-C, the workers and the union, at the late evening General Body meeting decided to temporarily withdrawn the strike in the larger interests of the Port, Mangaluru and of the economic development of the country. Now, it is the turn of the company managements, NMPT and the society at large to see to it that the assurances of the employers and NMPT are fulfilled and the sufferings of more than thousand workers and their families are remedied and their standard of living is improved by ensuring implementation of all applicable labour laws and by entering into 3-years Memorandum of Settlement.” said Shankar.
Vidya Dinker, National Campaign Committee Member, All India People’s Forum (AIPF) also speaking said, “The strike has brought forth a major issue of streamlining of wages and service conditions of shipping company workers who are instrumental in actual running of Ports across the country and also in NMPT. We believe that this strike will sensitize the NMPT management, the shipping ministry and the shipping company employers to address this deprived section of workers working in connection with and related to Major Ports. The 9-days strike is a wakeup call to the powers that be to address serious violations of human rights of workers engaged in ports. No doubt NMPT and the employers used every trick in the book to break the unity of the workers by filing false cases, issuing notices to workers, calling them up and threatening them, etc. but the workers unity could not be shaken and the NMPT and employers were compelled to agree to the just and legal demands of the Union.”
“This is a first ever strike, in more than 4 decades, by this section of workers engaged in NMPT and in any Major Ports across the country for that matter, who are deprived of their legal rights. Emergence of this section of the work force is a by-product of anti-people liberalization policies of the successive governments at the centre. The BJP and Modi led central government is duty bound to address this issue with utmost concern as it involves several tens of thousands of workers of this category all over Ports across the country. We thank all those who extended their support to the strike, the struggle and the historic movement of Port workers. On behalf of of these Port workers I thank Mangaluru media for the support to the struggle for justice and request media to play the role of constructive monitor of above assurances of employers and the Mangaluru Port Administration. ” added Dinker.
Diwakar, DK Dist Secretary, AICCTU, PP Appanna, Karnataka State Secretary, AICCTU; Satish Kumar, DK Dist President, AICCTU; Mohan KE, Joint Secretary DK AICCTU; BharathAmin, Karnataka State Convenor, Revolutionary Youth Association (RYA), were also present.
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