Naval workers protest pvt contracts

MUMBAI, December 14: Employees of the Naval Dockyard staged a dharna on Friday in front of Lion's Gate to protest off loading of dockyard w...

MUMBAI, December 14: Employees of the Naval Dockyard staged a dharna on Friday in front of Lion’s Gate to protest off loading of dockyard work to contractors from outside agencies.

The dharna, which culminated in a rally later, was attended by more than 500 employees affiliated to three unions. The rally was addressed by president of the All India Defence Employees Federation Samuel Augustine. The unions which participated were Indian Naval Dockyard Employees Union, Indian Naval Employees Union and Naval Dockyard Lokadhikar Samiti.

Said a spokesperson, nearly 60 to 70 percent of work is

handled by contractors, and overtime allowance due to the workers is affected as authorities claim that they do not have any funds. On the other hand, the contracts are awarded at a very high premium, he added.

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Recently, the work of four DA engineers in the submarine was off loaded on the pretext that the necessary tools and equipment were unavailable and that the dockyard workers do not possess the required expertise to finish the work within the time limit. “We feel that these are flimsy excuses. The real reason is that the concerned officers have a vested interest in these contracts”, the spokesperson alleged.

Another naval employee said those employed by the contractors are allowed to enter the dock premises without a proper identity card. He said this could lead to trouble, since there is every possibility of important naval secrets being leaked out.