TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: The flotilla staff employed at River Navigation Department have resolved to strike work on July 2 to protest what they call selective and continuous harassment and victimization of unionized flotilla staff by Vikram Bhonsle (Workshop Superintendent of RND). The strike will be observed from 6 am to 6 pm.
Arguing that the failure of the RND to deploy adequate sailors on crucial and critical ferry-route of St Pedro, the staff alleged that at times, the flotilla staff are forced to operate the ferry-boat with less than the required manpower endangering the safety and lives of the travelling commuters. They also pushed for payment of the pending overtime wages for 17 months for the period from January 2013 to May 2014.
The flotilla staff employees have asked the RND to adhere to the minutes of understanding signed before the Office of the Labour Commissioner on 15 July 2013 and blamed it for its utter failure to resolve the genuine grievances of the flotilla workers.
The employees are also aggrieved over the changes made in the existing service conditions of the sailors by asking them to collect tickets instead of their regular duty of ensuring orderly entry and egress of vehicles and commuters in the ferry boats, arranging the vehicles inside the ferry boats, fastening and loosening the ropes, etc, thereby ensuring the safety of the travelling commuters, the vehicles and cargo in the ferry boat as well as the non-finalization of duty roster in consultation with Captain of Ports, Government of India Navigation Employees’ Union and others. They have alleged there was favouritism and partiality in allotting duty to the flotilla staff by Workshop Superintendent, Vikram Bhonsle.
They have also accused him of unilateral and sudden changes made in the service conditions of the flotilla staff employees without prior notice or intimation.
Other grouses include the failure of the RND to rectify the anomalies existing in pay fixation of sailors, coxswain, machinists and ticket collectors as per VI Pay Commission recommendations, discrimination by Bhonsle while assigning roster-duties to senior coxswains, machinists and sailors, non-payment of stitching allowance of last eight years and the failure of the RND to rectify and correct the anomalies existing in the pay scale of flotilla staff on the case to case basis.
