The wage settlement issue, which has triggered a protest from 600,000 port and dock workers across 12 major ports in the country, remained unresolved at the meeting held between the managements and the unions today, but there are chances that it mightl be in the near future. The managements wanted more time.
S R Kulkarni, president of All India Port and Dock Workers Federation (AIPDWF), the biggest union, said: “We were unable to reach a consensus today. The managements want to pay allowances prospectively to workers, instead of retrospectively from January 2007, which is not acceptable to us. The management has called for a final meeting in the second week of December in which the agreement will be finalised.”
The five federations had called for indefinite strike from December 15 earlier this month, alleging that terms which were agreed on in the Bipartite Wage Negotiation Committee (BWNC) meeting held on October 31 had not been adhered to in the draft proposal chalked out by the managements.
Mohan Aswani, additional general secretary, Indian National Port and Dock Workers Federation (INPDWF), said: “There are outstanding issues like depression of minimum pay to Rs 7,500 from Rs 8,200 that have to be discussed. We will wait for the outcome of the meeting in December and then decide on the further course of action.” The wage revision issue has been under negotiation in BWNC for three years now and has instigated a call for indefinite strike from the unions for the second time this year.