Cabinet clears new reward scheme for port, dock workers

The Cabinet today approved a new productivity-linked reward scheme for port and dock employees for the period 2015-16 to 2017-18, a move that would benefit about 37,870 workers.
"The Union Cabinet under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval to New Productivity Linked Reward Scheme for all major Port Trusts and Dock Labour Board employees/workers for the years 2015-16 to 2017-18," an official statement said.
The new PLR scheme applicable from FY2015-16 to FY2017-18 will benefit about 37,870 port and dock workers/employees in all the Major Port Trusts and the yearly outgo will be Rs 49.58 crore, it said.

"PLR will be calculated on the enhanced wage ceiling for calculation of bonus at Rs 7,000 per month. PLR shall be paid annually on the basis of 50 per cent weightage given to all India Performance and 50 per cent weightage given to the individual Port Performance," the statement said.
"The arrear payments of PLR for the year 2014-15 to the employees/workers by the Major Port Trusts and Dock Labour Board will be calculated on the enhanced wage ceiling of Rs 7000 per month for calculation of Bonus instead of Rs 3,500 per month on the existing methodology of combined All India Port Performance," it said.

For the fiscal 2014-15, an amount of Rs 25.93 crore has already been paid to about 41,492 Major Ports and Dock workers/employees as per wage ceiling of Rs 3500.

The total additional outgo for all Major Ports & Dock workers/employees on account of payment of arrear of PLR for the year 2014-15 as per enhanced wage ceiling of Rs 7000 will be about Rs 25.93 crore, it said.
There is an existing scheme of PLR for the employees/workers of Major Port Trusts and Dock Labour Board, wherein Productivity Linked Reward was granted on yearly basis based on the settlement arrived at between Management and the Labour Federations of the Major Port Trusts.

The new PLR Scheme will foster better industrial relationship and congenial work atmosphere in the port sector, apart from stimulating better productivity.