Port Blair, Jan 23: The Non-Gazetted Govt. Officers’ Association, Andaman and Nicobar Islands has demanded immediate settlement of the demand of the Baratang Forest Workers Union which is conducting an indefinite hunger strike at Baratang. In a letter sent to the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Mr. D. Ayyappan, General Secretary of the Association said that the hunger strike has entered the 4th day today (23.01.2014). Three office bearers of the said Union are on continuous fast from 20th January, 2014 demanding regularization of the services of daily rated mazdoors working in the said Division. Mr. Ayyappan told the PCCF that about 60 daily-rated mazdoors in the Baratang Forest Division are working for the last two decades with the hope that their services will be regularized by the department and further stated that these workers have been performing regular nature of work in the absence of sufficient regular mazdoors in the Baratang Division. He said that the workers have complained that they have been discriminated by the department, as daily rated mazdoors even with 10 years or so service have been regularized in a number of departments like Port Management Board, IP&T, Secretariat, Electricity and Port Blair Municipal Council. Even in the Forest Department, daily-rated mazdoors have been regularized recently in the Mill Division, Chatham.
Mr. Ayyappan told the PCCF that it may not be possible for these mazdoors, who have dedicated their entire life for the Forest Department and lost all hopes of getting a government job in any other department, to pull on the days with the meager income they are getting now during this era of high inflation when even the regular employees find it difficult to meet both ends with their salary. Expressing his concern over the worsening condition of the fasting workers, the General Secretary informed the PCCF that there has been huge support from other sections government employees and general public of Baratang Island to the said hunger strike. The Association requested the PCCF to intervene in the matter and take immediate steps to settle the matter through negotiation with the representatives of the Union so that the situation can be brought to normalcy besides keeping the cordial relation between the employer and the employees intact.
