Port, dock workers' unions defer indefinite strike scheduled from Wednesday

Port and dock workers' unions of major ports have deferred their indefinite strike proposed from Wednesday, official sources said on Tuesday.

The decision came after an agreement between representatives of workers' unions and ports management on workers' demands at a marathon meeting in the national capital on Tuesday, they said.

At a national coordination committee meeting in Tuticorn (Tamil Nadu) on August 8, major port workers' unions affiliated to five federations decided to go on an indefinite strike from August 28 to press for immediate wage revision and other benefits, pending for nearly 32 months.

Subsequently, strike notices were served by the unions to administrators of the respective ports on August 12.

"The federations have agreed to postpone the proposed strike from August 28," a top port official said.

As part of the agreement, the fitment benefit of 8.5 per cent on the aggregate amount of basic pay as on December 31, 2021, plus 30 per cent cent VDA as on January 1,