By G SaravananPublished in The New Indian Express, Chennai, on June 17, 2010:
CHENNAI: The Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh-affiliated Port and Dock Labour Union at Chennai Port on Wednesday hinted that the union could be forced to protest against the port management if they prolong the issue of taking a final decision on introducing secret ballot system to elect two labour representatives for the board of trustees that governs the 128-year old port.
As per provisions of the Major Port Trusts Act, 1963, at least two labour representatives are to be appointed to the board of each major port trust every two years. The Chennai Port Trust board, which has been elected to serve till March 2012, however, met for the first meeting this month sans the two labour representatives.
Enquiries with the port trust revealed that one of the unions had filed a petition demanding the introduction of a secret ballot system.
In 1998, the system of ‘Check-Off’, which gave an up-to-date position of membership of the unions operating in ports, was introduced for the elections.
Subsequently, taking into consideration the advantages of the secret ballot system, the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust and the Tuticorin and Paradip Port Trusts, in consultation with the unions having majority support, adopted the secret ballot system.And most recently, the Chief Labour Commissioner also directed the Cochin Port Trust to implement the secret ballot system after a local BMS-affiliated union got a court order to the effect.
Speaking to Express, R Santhanam, general secretary of the BMS-affiliated union at Chennai Port, said, “Our union moved the Madras High Court in January this year demanding the introduction of secret ballot system to select two labour representatives in the port trust, but the management is still buying time to decide on it.”
As per provisions of the Major Port Trusts Act, 1963, at least two labour representatives are to be appointed to the board of each major port trust every two years. The Chennai Port Trust board, which has been elected to serve till March 2012, however, met for the first meeting this month sans the two labour representatives.
Enquiries with the port trust revealed that one of the unions had filed a petition demanding the introduction of a secret ballot system.
In 1998, the system of ‘Check-Off’, which gave an up-to-date position of membership of the unions operating in ports, was introduced for the elections.
Subsequently, taking into consideration the advantages of the secret ballot system, the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust and the Tuticorin and Paradip Port Trusts, in consultation with the unions having majority support, adopted the secret ballot system.And most recently, the Chief Labour Commissioner also directed the Cochin Port Trust to implement the secret ballot system after a local BMS-affiliated union got a court order to the effect.
Speaking to Express, R Santhanam, general secretary of the BMS-affiliated union at Chennai Port, said, “Our union moved the Madras High Court in January this year demanding the introduction of secret ballot system to select two labour representatives in the port trust, but the management is still buying time to decide on it.”
In a recent hearing too, held during the first week of June, the management asked the court to give another two weeks’ time to file their reply, he said. The union believes that the management is deliberately delaying its decision.
“We were objecting to the existing system of electing labour representatives through check-off system, which paves way for large-scale malpractices and does not reflect the will of the labour force in the board,” Santhanam said.
Labourers in the union have decided to stage a protest if the issue is not resolved before the next board meeting scheduled for the second week of July.
The outgoing labour trustees were V K Balakrishnan, general secretary of MPT Railwaymen’s Union and G M Krishnamurthy, general secretary of the Madras Port Trust Employees Union.
“We were objecting to the existing system of electing labour representatives through check-off system, which paves way for large-scale malpractices and does not reflect the will of the labour force in the board,” Santhanam said.
Labourers in the union have decided to stage a protest if the issue is not resolved before the next board meeting scheduled for the second week of July.
The outgoing labour trustees were V K Balakrishnan, general secretary of MPT Railwaymen’s Union and G M Krishnamurthy, general secretary of the Madras Port Trust Employees Union.
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