Workers accuse labour official of neglecting their interests

Workers under the aegis of the CITU staging a protest at the Office of Deputy Labour Commissioner in Visakhapatnam on Thursday. - Photo: A. Manikanta Kumar

Traffic on one half of the Akkayyapalem Main Road, opposite the Office of the Deputy Commissioner of Labour, was disrupted for over an hour on Thursday morning as a dharna was organised by workers under the aegis of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU).

CITU leaders demanded that action be taken against Joint Commissioner of Labour Lakshminarayana as he was allegedly siding with managements of various establishments and neglecting the interests of workers.

The workers, who came from Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, and Visakhapatnam districts, stood on the road, even as some of them squatted on the road divider and at vantage points under trees on the other side of the road.

CITU State vice-president Ch. Narasinga Rao alleged that officials of the Labour Department, who were supposed to implement Labour Laws, were giving suggestions to the managements on how to flout the rules. He also alleged that the JCL was “acting like a representative of managements” instead of espousing the cause of the workers.

He said that the labour officials were supposed to oversee implementation of minimum wages, holidays, gratuity, bonus, and other laws in the establishments in the three districts.

Charge against GPL

He said the management of Gangavaram Port Limited was not honouring the labour laws and dismissed the leaders who had floated a trade union. Though the issue was taken to the notice of the JCL several times, the official, instead of directing the GPL management to comply with the rules, advised them on “how to flout the rules,” he alleged.

Mr. Narasinga Rao said that the Centre was planning to amend the Labour Laws to the detriment of workers.

At present, a minimum of seven members were required to register a trade union. But the BJP government was planning to make it mandatory that a minimum of 30 per cent of the total workers should enrol as members for registration of a trade union.

CITU Visakha Mahanagar general secretary M. Jaggu Naidu, Visakhapatnam district vice-president G. Koteswara Rao, Srikakulam district secretary Govinda Rao, and Vizianagaram district secretary T. Suryanarayana were among those who spoke.

Later, the workers picketed the office of the DCL.