Port Blair, May 02: To express solidarity with the working class people and labours, INTUC and its affiliated Trade Unions have organized a procession on 1st May, 2017 on the occasion of’ May Day’ from Gandhi Bhavan at the allotted routes within Port Blair Municipal areas. The May Day procession was attended by senior leaders of ANTCC and its frontal organizations , INTUC, Municipal Councillors and PRI members. More than 2500 workers of various Govt. departments, organized and unorganized private sectors have joined the procession. The whole atmosphere was filled in with the slogans such as “ May Day Zindabad”,” Mazdoor Ekta Zindabad”, “ Minimum wages Badavo” “ Khali Posts jaldi Bharo” etc. After the completion of the procession, the INTUC leaders addressed the gathering wherein the INTUC President Shri Kuldeep Rai Sharma assured of all possible helps to the working class. He in his address elaborated the anti workers policies of Modi led BJP government and emphasized the need for workers unity and urged the workers belonging to all sectors to come in to the fold of INTUC in more and more numbers to strengthen the labour movement in these islands. Shri Kuldeep while giving reference to regularization of services of 65 odd Temporarily Status Mazdoor in the Directorate of Civil Supplies said that even after getting relief from the Court of law the Govt. is not willing to give regular appointment to these TSMs who have put on more than 25 years of service. He further demanded for regular appointment for long serving DRMs and contract employees in Transport, Shipping Services, Education, Forest etc, against the vacant posts available with the departments. Expressing concern over the Part time employees of the Education Department, Shri Kuldeep emphasized that the exploitation of workers in the pretext of part time need to be immediately stopped by the Administration and all these Part time workers need to be given wages equal to regular employees as these part time workers are engaged for entire schooling hours. Referring to the Vacancy Notice recently published by the Administration to fill vacant posts in the Pay Band-I with the grade pay of Rs. 1800/- Shri Kuldeep invited attention of the Administration regarding non inclusion of nearly 150 sanctioned posts of labours in PMB and urged the Administration not to leave or abolish even a single sanctioned vacant post in any departments under the Administration as the same will adversely affect the employment opportunity for islanders. INTUC General Secretary Shri Gyan Prakash Krishna expressed concern over the growing unemployment in the islands and Govt being the major source of generating employment should expedite filling up of all vacant posts in the departments of A &N Administration, create new posts and discourage privatization and entry of non islanders in to Govt. jobs. S/Shri M.Z. Ziddique and Sahadevan, Vice Presidents, INTUC, Smti Shanta Singh, AICC Member also addressed the gathering raising the issues increase in minimum wages, early revision of allowances under 7th Pay commission, giving Casual labour status to all DRMs working in PBMC, APWD, Forest, DSS etc., who has put on more than 240 days of continuous service in the departments .
The meeting was concluded with vote of thanks proposed by Shri Mohd. Rafi, General Secretary, INTUC
