The CITU Visakhapatnam city committee has demanded immediate implementation of labour laws at the Krishnapatnam port and reinstatement of 500 workers, whose services were allegedly terminated by the port management.
A protest was organised by CITU at Gandhi Statue near the GVMC office on Wednesday seeking justice for the workers of Krishnapatnam port.
Addressing the gathering, CITU city general secretary M. Jaggu Naidu said that the farmers of Nellore district had given away 4,553 acres of land for the establishment of the port in hopes of getting jobs at the port. The port management, however, dashed all their hopes by giving only contract jobs to the locals, he alleged. “They are not even being paid minimum wages, ESI and PF, and are not entitled to leave. They are being made to work for 12 hours but were being paid for only eight hours,” he alleged.
Workers who dared to question the management were being terminated from service. As many as 1,200 women were being paid a meagre ₹170 a day as wages. On the other hand, the port made a profit of ₹700 crore even during the pandemic, Mr. Jaggu Naidu alleged.
The CITU leader said the union has been striving for implementation of labour laws for all industrial workers for the past five years. On December 31, the port management had agreed before the Principal Secretary of the State Labour Department to implement the labour laws. But later, instead of doing so, it terminated the services of 500 workers on January 6, he alleged.
‘Will intensify protest’
Condemning the action of the port management, Mr. Jaggu Naidu demanded the intervention of the State government to initiate action against the management apart from reinstatement of the dismissed workers and implementation of labour laws. He warned that CITU would be forced to intensify its agitation if the government failed to respond to the demand.
CITU city secretary B. Jagan and leaders P. Mani, M. Subba Rao, D. Appala Raju, B. Venkata Rao, V. Krishna Rao, Chandramouli, Poliswara Rao and Penta Rao participated in the protest.
