Port Blair, May 09: The General Body meeting of the Andaman SarvajanikNirmanVibhag Mazdoor Sangh (ASNVMS) (CITU) was held at the Hotel ACC, Mohanpura, Port Blair on 08th May 2022. In the meeting members of ASNVMS discussed various pending demands of the workers working in APWD and the unfavourable attitude of the A&N Administration towards the demands.
The meeting through a resolution urged the A&N Administration to regularize the services of all the daily rated mazdoors working in APWD. The meeting noted that these workers are working in APWD for quite a long period of time ranging from 10 years to 30 years.
Through another resolution, the meeting urged the Administration to extend the benefit of 1/30th of pay plus DA to all the DRMs working in APWD. Labour Courts and High Court and Supreme Court have upheld the demand of the workers on this issue.
The meeting observed that the A&N Administration continues to defy the orders of the above courts despite there being no stay of any court on the orders upholding this demand.
Through another resolution adopted in the meeting, the Union urged upon the APWD and A&N Administration to grant Bonus to all the daily rated workers as done in other departments under the Administration.
By another resolution, the meeting resolved to urge the APWD to pay 30 days’ wages to those DRM workers who were granted the 1/30th of pay plus DA benefits, as per the directions already issued by the Labour Commissioner.
Addressing the meeting, Mr. B. Chandrachoodan, President of the Union, who presided over the meeting, criticized the A&N Administration for pursuing various anti-labour policies and not hearing the trade unions before taking any major decisions affecting these workers.
Mr. R. Surendran Pillai, President, CITU A&N State Committee; Mr. M. Boominathan, Vice President; Mr. BC Bhattacharjee, Vice President of CITU State Committee; Mr. SP Kalairajan, General Secretary, ASNVMS; Mr. Anand Raj, Treasurer, ASNVMS; Mr. Sreenu, ASNVMS and Mr. Yugander, ASNVMS also addressed the meeting.
The meeting decided to place the above demand before the A&N Administration again and further decided that in case the Administration does not take any favourable action, the Union will resort to agitation, the modalities of which will be finalized later on.
Hundreds of workers working in various Divisions of APWD in Port Blair and South Andaman areas attended the meeting.