Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam   

Decks cleared for DLB merger with VPT

VISAKHAPATNAM: The Visakhapatnam Harbour and Port Workers Union and the Visakhapatnam Dock Labour Board National Employees’ Union singed an agreement with the managements of the Visakhapatnam Port Trust and the DLB on the merger of DLB into the VPT.

The VHPWU, affiliated to AITUC got the general agreement on the merger signed separately on Thursday after taking out a rally of workers to the Port Administrative building after letting the workers understand full details of it and also secured another agreement with the management securing an assurance from the management on six other demands of DLB workers, the union’s honorary president V.V. Rama Rao said at a press conference here on Friday.

He charged the Ministry, the port management and the HMS union, which he said is a minority union, of reaching an agreement secretly on September 8 keeping the majority AITUC union aside. The AITUC demanded for a separate agreement with the management and secured the same, he said.

He said the DLB board meeting held on June 30 passed a unanimous resolution on the merger and the Chairman sent a team of officials to Delhi to secure Government’s permission but the agreement with the HMS union was made when he was on an official visit to Mangalore, because the HMS central leaders forced the Government to get the agreement signed so that they could exert pressure on the AITUC union and also sideline it.

The talks for merger were on for the last 16 years and the 72-year-old AITUC union was in the forefront of the demand for merger. It was a historic occasion and also called for celebrations but the agreement was done in secrecy, Mr. Rama Rao said.

He asserted that his union enjoyed support of 90 per cent of employees in DLB and 30 per cent in the port and with the merger its strength would have support of 60 per cent of total workers. Out of the 4,000 private workers of all categories 90 per cent are with the AITUC union, he said.

He added that the merger process would be complete after also signing an agreement with the private companies, followed by notification of merger by the Government.

Other leaders of the union Ch. Masen, B. Rama Rao, P. Lakshmana Rao and B. Suryanarayana were also present.

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