Port Blair, March 20: A General Body meeting of the Little Andaman Branch of the ASNVMS was held at Hut Bay on 18th March 2023 evening. Addressing the workers of APWD, D. Ayyappan, Vice President, CITU A & N State Committee briefly explained the agitations and the litigations carried out by the CITU and ASNVMS for getting the benefits of 1/30th of pay plus DA to daily rated mazdoors of APWD. He said that it was the CITU which was the only organization in the islands to launch agitations for implementing the Govt of India’s order of 1988 on the benefit of 1/30th of pay plus DA to Casual Mazdoors. Workers in many departments had to fight the case upto Supreme Court to get this benefit for them. CITU and ASNVMS had also conducted movements for getting the benefit of Bonus to daily rated mazdoors of APWD and other departments. 

He further said that efforts are being made to break the united movement of the workers by ruling politicians in the islands and called upon the workers to remain united under the CITU banner.  He said that various legitimate demands of the workers in the island are being neglected by the BJP-led central government and its Administration in the islands. Shri Anand Rajan, Treasurer, ASNVMS also addressed the gathering and explained the present status of the implementation of the judgement of Division Bench on 1/30th pay plus DA. A large number of APWD workers of Little Andaman attended the meeting.  

During his visit to Little Andaman, Ayyappan also met a number of   employees and workers of other departments and general public who brought to his notice various problems faced by them due to the unfavourable attitude of the central government and the Administration.