The Indian National Cement Workers' Federation has asked the Cement Manufacturers' Association (CMA) to commence negotiations on a fresh wage agreement.
The demand for fresh wage talks comes in the wake of the Federation terminating the existing three-year national level wage settlement, penned on April 26, 2005, two months ahead of its expiry.
The Federation has submitted a 36-demand fresh charter to the CMA on February 1. It has called upon the CMA to sign the new wage accord before June this year. Should there be no new wage settlement by June, the Federation wants the cement workers to be paid an interim relief of Rs.10,000 a month effective from April 2010.
The Federation has demanded that the new wage accord should also be for a three-year period and cover all categories of employees. It has further asked the CMA to pare the job band to four instead of 13. And, the Federation has also demanded that the minimum basic should be at Rs.18,200 at the lowest level with guaranteed minimum increase in basic salary et al.
Significantly enough, the Federation has called for distribution of 15 tonnes of cement free to workmen ``to construct their own houses.'' Further, it has also called for stock options for cement employees.
