The workers of all the major ports of the country will go on an indefinite strike from March 9 against the government's decision to corporatise the sector.
The national coordination committee of Port Workers Federation today announced its decision to go on strike.
The strike has been called against the unilateral decision of the Shipping Ministry to corporatise the country's major ports, a release by Transport and Dock Workers' Union, Mumbai said here today.
The decision to this effect was taken during a Federation's meeting held in Mumbai on January 28-29, 2015.
"The ministry has taken the decision disregarding several assurances given to the Federation as well as the unanimous recommendations contained in the parliamentary standing committee's 117th report, which was presented in the Rajya Sabha on 11 August, 2011," core leader in Federation in Mumbai, S R Kulkarni said in a statement.
The leaders stated that the present attempt of the ministry is not only detrimental to the interest of the port, dock workers and pensioners, but also against the sovereignty of the country at large.
They criticised the attitude of the ministry for not taking the workers into confidence while making radical changes in the organisational structure and the consequences arising out of it.
Port authorities are blatantly violating statutes by not implementing several statutory settlements relating to serving employees and pensioners signed between Port management and the Federation before central authorities.
The union leaders alleged that the ministry has even initiated action to enforce decision on industrial relations policy in vogue, in recalcitrance to Major Ports agreement with the Federation, even disregarding the labour ministry's guidelines and several court judgements.
