Port Blair, Aug 08: Workers of the Andaman Public Works Department, at the call given by the Andaman Sarvajanik Nirman Vibhag Mazdoor Sangh (ASNVMS), will go on one-day strike tomorrow, demanding implementation of Govt. of India’s order on grant of 1/30th pay plus DA scheme to the daily rated mazdoors working in APWD.
Workers working under all the Divisions of APWD from Campbell Bay to Diglipur will resort to one-day strike.
“The Union has been demanding implementation of the Govt. of India’s order issued during 1988 on the above scheme. During the last few years, a series of discussions/meetings were held at various levels in the Administration and APWD and in all these meetings/discussions the demand was accepted in principle and assurances were given to the Union that the order will be implemented as soon as the APWD get sufficient fund in the Budget,” Mr. B. Chandrachoodan, President of Andaman Sarvajanik Nirman Vibhag Mazdoor Sangh said in a release.
He added that, sadly the Union has found that despite such repeated assurances at the highest level in the Administration, the order is yet to be implemented and about 4000 daily rated mazdoors, who have been engaged to perform the regular nature of work against the vacant posts, are denied of their rightful financial benefits.
“These workers who have put in 15 years to 2 years of service in APWD are leading a miserable life during these hard days of price rise. The Union called upon all the workers working in APWD to join the one-day strike and make it a grand success and show the unity of the workers. The striking workers will conduct a sit-in in front of the office of the Chief Engineers, APWD at Port Blair,” he said.
