Indian port workers have agreed to call off a strike for an 8.5% pay rise
Mohamed Hanif, president of the All India Port and Dockworkers Federation, said the union agreed to postpone the planned strike after they reached an "understanding on major issues" with the management on the 27th local time. Dockworkers at India's main ports have reached a five-year deal that calls off an indefinite strike.
Nearly 20,000 workers at India's major ports had threatened an indefinite strike starting Aug. 28, agreeing to an 8.5 percent wage increase over five years after initially demanding a raise of about 10.6 percent, according to a document signed by union leaders. But the strike was called off after a new five-year deal was agreed.
Late last week, nearly 20,000 dockworkers at 12 state-run ports in India planned to go on indefinite strike from August 28, after the Indian Ports Association (IPA) rejected its proposed amendments to the workers' federation.
According to a separate report seen by Reuters, the shipping ministry set up a wage negotiation committee between the two sides in March 2021, and workers submitted their demands six months later.
In the Indian capital, New Delhi, the commission and India's top port body reached an agreement with the workers' union. The workers' union had been engaged in "lengthy discussions" seeking a solution to wage adjustments and pension benefits.
During the Collective Bargaining Committee meeting, which was discussed between union leaders and the Indian Ports Association, port workers will receive an adaptive benefit of 8.5 percent of their gross base salary from December 31, 2021, plus 30 percent of their variable allowance (VDA) from January 1, 2022
Pay negotiations between Indian port workers and their employers have been going on for years, but no agreement has been reached. The previous wage agreement expired on December 31, 2021, but no new adjustment plan has been obtained. Despite the establishment of the Bilateral Wage Negotiation Committee (BWNC) by the Shipping Ministry in March 2021 and 31 months and seven meetings of arduous negotiations, the two sides have not been able to reach a consensus.
The core demands of the port workers include revision of wage standards, enhancement of assembly benefits, protection of existing benefits, enforcement of previous settlements, cancellation of unreasonable allowances (DA) and payment of long-standing arrears. In particular, the workers are also demanding to ensure that the pension benefits effective from January 2022 are effectively guaranteed, as the previous settlement has lost its effectiveness. In addition, workers are extremely unhappy with the late payment of the Productivity-Linked Bonus (PLR), which was supposed to be a festive benefit and has been put on hold indefinitely due to the Shipping Ministry's failure to approve the statutory settlement in time.
Nearly 20,000 workers at India's major ports had threatened an indefinite strike starting Aug. 28, agreeing to an 8.5 percent wage increase over five years after initially demanding a raise of about 10.6 percent, according to a document signed by union leaders. But the strike was called off after a new five-year deal was agreed.
Late last week, nearly 20,000 dockworkers at 12 state-run ports in India planned to go on indefinite strike from August 28, after the Indian Ports Association (IPA) rejected its proposed amendments to the workers' federation.
According to a separate report seen by Reuters, the shipping ministry set up a wage negotiation committee between the two sides in March 2021, and workers submitted their demands six months later.
In the Indian capital, New Delhi, the commission and India's top port body reached an agreement with the workers' union. The workers' union had been engaged in "lengthy discussions" seeking a solution to wage adjustments and pension benefits.
During the Collective Bargaining Committee meeting, which was discussed between union leaders and the Indian Ports Association, port workers will receive an adaptive benefit of 8.5 percent of their gross base salary from December 31, 2021, plus 30 percent of their variable allowance (VDA) from January 1, 2022
Pay negotiations between Indian port workers and their employers have been going on for years, but no agreement has been reached. The previous wage agreement expired on December 31, 2021, but no new adjustment plan has been obtained. Despite the establishment of the Bilateral Wage Negotiation Committee (BWNC) by the Shipping Ministry in March 2021 and 31 months and seven meetings of arduous negotiations, the two sides have not been able to reach a consensus.
The core demands of the port workers include revision of wage standards, enhancement of assembly benefits, protection of existing benefits, enforcement of previous settlements, cancellation of unreasonable allowances (DA) and payment of long-standing arrears. In particular, the workers are also demanding to ensure that the pension benefits effective from January 2022 are effectively guaranteed, as the previous settlement has lost its effectiveness. In addition, workers are extremely unhappy with the late payment of the Productivity-Linked Bonus (PLR), which was supposed to be a festive benefit and has been put on hold indefinitely due to the Shipping Ministry's failure to approve the statutory settlement in time.
