Political Crisis May Stall Dock Workers Bill
The fear of dissolution of the Lok Sabha has put under a cloud the passage of the amendment bill of the Dock Workers (Regulation of Employment ) Act, 1948. This may stall the move to merge the dock labourers with the shore labourers at the Calcutta port.
The bill was passed easily by the Rajya Sabha. But the passage of the amendment bill enabling merger of the dock and shore workers, with the dissolution of the dock labour boards, in the Lok Sabha has become a distant possibility. Merger of the dock labour boards at the major ports will now take time to materialise.
The decision to merge the dock labour boards with the port trusts was taken in April 1992, when all the central trade unions had accepted the principle of merger. It was left to individual ports and associated dock labour boards to formulate the procedures, but the need to amend the act was felt as part of the broader procedure for all the major ports and dock labour boards.
In the meantime, the Mumbai and Cochin ports have effected mergers. The Mumbai port is experiencing some teething troubles. The Cochin port has introduced interchangeability of port and dock workers, leading to a reduction in the workforce as well as inclusion of a package of increased output for payment of incentives.
The Madras and Visakhapatnam ports have taken in-principle decisions to effect mergers and a one-man committee of Y Parthasarathi was set up some time ago to formulate the modalities. On the basis of the Parthasarathi panel recommendations, both the ports have set the objective of mergers with a view to integrate the entire cargo handling, eliminating compartmentalisation of the workforce. The objective also set the target of installing unified control over cargo handling with optimisation in the use of rational deployment of the workforce, increased productivity and elimination of many restrictive practices in the major port trusts.
The Calcutta Dock Labour Board (CDLB) is saddled with a surplus workforce, while there is an acute shortage of shore workers. This anomaly not only affects the port work but also forces the port users to bear costs disproportionate to the work discharged.
The port authorities and users admit that by merging CDLB with the Calcutta Port Trust (CPT), surplus dock labourers can be gainfully deployed in the shores.
This will eliminate the avoidable expenditure on account of idle wages enjoyed by dock labourers. CDLB itself admits that more than 30 per cent of the workforce is surplus in the present strength of about 2,600 registered workers and 700 staff.
On an average, CDLB workers can be pressed for service for 13 days in a month of 30 days. But they enjoy guaranteed wages for 27 days. As a result, the trade has to bear the burden of idle wages in the form of a levy that amounts to Rs 8 crore a year. The port users, understandably, resent this and have been demanding early implementation of the merger scheme.
CPT authorities have some steps towards merger, like partial de-casualisation of the dock workers. The dock workers will be fully de-casualised, once the scheme comes into effect, with full protection of all service benefits. But the big question is when will it become a reality.
CDLB has, by earning a revenue surplus of Rs 4.18 crore in 1996-97, reversed the trend of recurring losses for over three decades. In 1997-98, the budgeted surplus has been set at Rs 10.10 crore.
The better performance has enabled CDLB to reduce the general levy by 10 per cent and the charges on warehouse containers have also been brought down. As a result, the trade will get a relief of Rs 4 crore.