Members of all trade unions affiliated to national federations of Indian ports staged dharna here on Thursday seeking the intervention of the Centre to constitute a wage revision committee.
Thuraimugam Sathya, general secretary, Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS), who led the dharna, said the present wage revision committee, which entered into an agreement with employees on January 1, 2012 would be effective until December 31, 2016. So far, no efforts had been taken to form a new committee. Around 1,200 employees under the categories of class three and four of V. O. Chidambaranar Port here would benefit, if the committee was formed for wage revision. Moreover, he said there was a strong objection from the employees to the proposed Major Port Trust Act, 2017, the draft bill for which would be tabled in the monsoon session of Parliament. The proposed Act would lead to privatisation of ports, he alleged. The agitating members also raised slogans against the move to bring all hospitals managed by ports under public-private-partnership mode.
