Roni Antony & Sarthak Kanjilall
Port Blair, Dec 17: The members of Sailors Union of India have finally ‘hit the road’ and have started continuous demonstration against Directorate of Shipping Services for not fulfilling their long pending issues.
As per reports, the members of SUI have decided to continue the protest in front of the DSS office every day from 4:00 pm to 06:00 pm till the department fulfills their demands.
Wage revision for Inter- Island sector crews, engagement of local crews in the vessel MV Nicobar, and authority to contractual crews for voting rights to decide the majority union et cetera are some of the major demands of the members of the Union.
Talking to Andaman Sheekha, Mr R Sanjay Kumar, Secretary, SUI said that he alongwith other members of SUI have recently met the Shipping Minister, Mansukh L Mandaviya in Delhi on 27th November, 2019 wherein, he informed that all instructions have been given to the Chief Secretary and Secretary Shipping, Andaman and Nicobar administration to resolve all the pending issues raised by SUI at the earliest, but till now no demands have been implemented.
“We are forced to stage this protest because even after the directions of Ministry the administration is not willing to sort out our major issues,” Mr Sanjay added.
SUI claimed that due to non fulfillment of the major demands around 400 roaster crews as well as 300 contractual crews working in mainland, Inter- Island and foreshore sector are affected.
Sailors Union of India which is affiliated to Bhartiya Majdoor Sangh is also getting the support of the members of BMS while staging the protest.
