Port Blair, May 9: The General Body meeting of the ASNVMS (CITU) was held at the Hotel ACC, Mohanpura, Port Blair today (08.05.2022) morning. The meeting discussed about various pending demands of the workers working in APWD and the unfavourable attitude on the part of the Administration towards the demands. 

The meeting through a resolution urged upon the Andaman & Nicobar Administration to regularize the services of all the daily rated mazdoors working in APWD. It noted that these workers have been working in APWD for quite a long period of time ranging from 10 years to 30 years.  Through another resolution, the meeting urged upon 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 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 has been 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 have been granted the 1/30th of pay plus DA benefits, as per the directions already issued by the Labour Commissioner.  

Addressing the meeting, B. Chandrachoodan, President of the Union, who presided over the meeting, criticized the Andaman & Nicobar Administration for pursuing various anti-labour policies and not hearing the trade unions before taking any major decisions affecting these workers. Shri R. Surendran Pillai, President, CITU A & N State Committee, Shri M. Boominathan, Vice President, Shri BC Bhattacharjee, Vice President of CITU State Committee, Shri SP Kalairajan, General Secretary, ASNVMS, Shri Anand Raj, Treasurer, ASNVMS, Shri Sreenu, ASNVMS and Shri Yugander, ASNVMS also addressed the meeting. 

The meeting decided to place the above demand before the 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 at Port Blair and South Andaman areas attended the meeting.