Tarun Karthick
Sri Vijaya Puram, 18 October 2024
The Andaman Sarvajanik Nirman Vibhag Mazdoor Sangh (ASNVMS), affiliated with the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), organized a territory-wide mass demonstration on 17 October in front of various offices of the Andaman Public Works Department (APWD) and the A & N Administration. The protests, which took place across multiple locations, were held to demand the regularization of services for Daily Rated Mazdoors (DRMs), oppose the outsourcing of workers in the APWD, and call for the implementation of the Chief Engineer’s order regarding 30-day wages for DRMs.
In Port Blair, hundreds of workers gathered outside the office of the Chief Engineer, APWD, voicing their concerns. Addressing the demonstrators, B. Chandrachoodan, President of ASNVMS and General Secretary of CITU’s State Committee, emphasized that today’s protest marks the first phase of a larger agitation. He warned that ASNVMS, alongside other CITU-affiliated unions, will continue to escalate their protests until their demands for the regularization of DRMs are met. Chandrachoodan further criticized the BJP-led central government, which oversees the A & N Administration, accusing it of pursuing anti-worker policies over the past decade.
Other speakers at the demonstration in Port Blair included SP Kalairajan, General Secretary of ASNVMS; Anand Rajan, Treasurer of ASNVMS; M. Yugander, Secretary of CITU’s State Committee; and K. Lakshman, General Secretary of Nagarpalika Shramik Sangh. The protest was led by R. Surendran Pillai, President of ASNVMS, along with BC Bhattacharjee, Vice President of CITU’s State Committee, and Venkat Rao and Srini Babu from ASNVMS.
Similar demonstrations were held in other regions of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands:
– Mayabunder: A mass procession was organized through the town, culminating in a meeting where CITU Mayabunder Zonal Committee President Muralidharan Pillai and Secretary C. Murugan, along with ASNVMS leaders Mohd Javed and Ramesh, addressed the crowd.
– Rangat: Workers gathered in front of the office of the Assistant Commissioner, where Projit Kumar Sarkar, President of CITU’s Rangat Zonal Committee, condemned the government for its failure to address the demands of DRMs. C. Karuppaiah, Secretary of ASNVMS’s Rangat Branch, also spoke during the event.
– Kadamtala: A protest took place in front of the office of the Assistant Engineer, led by ASNVMS leaders Amresh, Subroto, and Manoj.
– Katchal: A large gathering of workers held a demonstration in front of the Assistant Engineer’s office, led by Rajesh Khanna and K. Nagaraj of ASNVMS.
– Great Nicobar: At Campbell Bay, a sizeable protest, including participation from numerous women workers, was held in front of the Executive Engineer’s office. The event was led by Dhandapani, a member of CITU’s State Committee.
The demonstrations reflect growing dissatisfaction among DRMs across the islands, who continue to press for their demands to be addressed by the administration. With more protests planned in the days ahead, the ASNVMS and CITU have signalled that this is just the beginning of their movement to protect workers’ rights in the territory.