Port Blair, Aug 16: A delegation of CITU Andaman & Nicobar State Committee comprising R. Surendran Pillai, President, B. Chandrachoodan, General Secretary, D. Ayyappan, Vice President and SP Kalairajan, Secretary today (16.08.2023) met the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, A & N Islands at his chamber and discussed about the issues relating to the daily rated mazdoors working in the Forest Department. A letter from CITU was also submitted to the PCCF on the occasion. 

The CITU in the letter said that a large number of daily rated workers working in the Environment & Forest Department are termed as “seasonal workers” by the department even though the same number of workers is retained for same work by rotating them among the Divisions or new hands are engaged after disengaging the workers after every six months. CITU told the PCCF that due to this disengagement/ rotation, a large number of daily rated mazdoors has been deprived of the benefit of 1/30th of pay plus DA. 

CITU told PCCF that it was on the basis of the report from the Forest Department that the Committee constituted by the A & N Administration to consider the grant of 1/30th of pay plus DA to DRMs on the basis of the judgement of the Division Bench of Calcutta High Court dated 19th December, 202, had recommended to exclude the daily rated workers of Forest Department from the purview of the said financial benefit. This is highly objectionable and it tantamount to denial of natural justice to the daily rated workers engaged by the Forest Department. CITU further submitted before the PCCF that the Hon’ble High Court on 19th December, 2022 had directed the Administration to extend the said financial benefit to all the DRMs working under the Administration. Hence, excluding the daily rated workers of the Forest Department from the ambit of the said judgement is contempt of court order.   

CITU further brought to the notice of the PCCF that as per the existing orders of the Administration, only Chief Secretary is competent to engage new daily rated mazdoors. CITU further told the PCCF that the Supreme Court and various High Courts in the country had held that one set of employees cannot be replaced by another set of employees. Hence, CITU Delegation requested the PCCF to allow all the existing workers (as on the date) to continue to work without their disengagement and uphold the court orders in this regard.