'Minister must not ignore plights of CAD & PD loaders further'
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, October 08 2014:
DESAM has sought the immediate attention of the minister and director of CAF & PD in order to defuse the crisis over the discontinuation in hiring 61 loaders at the Sangaiporou godown of the department following differences with a contractor and threatened to take up the matter with the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment if they remain to avoid the matter.
Talking to media persons at its office at Keishampat today president of DESAM, M Angamba, talked about the growing difficulties that the labourers and their families are facing since they were shunned by the godown authorities.
He stated that the labourers had been working at the godown for years but were abruptly denied work without giving any plausible reasons.
The parents can no longer afford to send their children to school and DESAM took the step of the children surrendering their books to the CAF & PD authorities on October 1 very seriously, he stated.
The continued silence of the minister and the director even after the aggravation of the matter to such an extent will not produce any positive outcome, he stated.
He reminded that the wages of the labourers who loads and unloads sugar and rice bags were raised by the government for the first time in 20 years after considering their genuine case.
However, the contractor disregarded the official order hiking their wages and instead stopped hiring them, Angamba said contending that the step adopted by the contractor was a serious violation of the rights of the labourers.
He continued that the issue should not be taken lightly adding that the rights to education of their wards had also been subsequently violated too.
Hence, the minister and director of CAF & PD should intervene quickly and help in bringing about a settlement.
He appealed to the authorities of the schools where the children of the labourers are attending to waive their school fees until the matter is resolved.