Lockdown Impact: AITUC Demands Full Pay for Chennai Airport Firm Workers

New Delhi: The All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) has sought the Civil Aviation Ministry's intervention in disbursal of full salaries of workers of Bhadra International India Ltd at Chennai airport for March month.

In a letter to civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri, the AITUC highlighted the issue of delayed and part payment of wages to the workers of the Bhadra International India Limited in Chennai airport.

Bhadra International India Ltd (BIIL) is a firm doing ground handling and passenger services of the Airport Authority of India.

In the Chennai International airport there are around 1,200 workers working for BIIL.

It is reported that the management of BIIL paid the salary for March on April 13 after prolonged persistence of the workers union, AITUC said in a statement.

The trade union also noted with dismay that “gross discrepancies” were found with the amount of salaries staggering around 50 – 60% of the actual salary due to be paid to each worker, the union said.  

It may be recalled that Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as the Labour Ministry had asked employers not to cut pay and jobs.

AITUC, urged upon Puri to immediately intervene and advice the BIIL management to disburse full salaries of the workers for the month of March and also not to cut down the staff strength and deny wages till the time of restoration of normal activity.

Centre Freezes DA, DR hike till July 2021, No Arrears

The Ministry of Finance on Thursday announced to freeze the hike in dearness allowance (DA) for the Central government employees and dearness relief (DR) for the Central government pensioners till July next year.

According to the order issued, no arrears will be paid for the period from January 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021.

"In view of the crisis arising out of COVID-19, it has been decided that the additional instalment of dearness allowance payable to Central Government employees and dearness relief to Central Government pensioners, due from January 1, 2020, shall not be paid," the order said.

According to the order, additional instalments of dearness allowance and dearness relief due from July 1, 2020, and January 1, 2021, shall also not be paid. It, however, said that DA and DR at current rates will continue to be paid.

Ludhiana-Based Association Moves SC Against Full Wages

Ludhiana-based Hand Tools Association on Thursday said it had moved the Supreme Court challenging the validity of the Central government's order directing all employers to pay full wages to workers without any deduction during the lockdown period.

Hand Tools Association President Subhash Chander Ralhan said due to the lockdown amid coronavirus outbreak, the industries are completely closed since March 25 and there is no work happening.

"Due to the closure, we are not able to export goods or sell in the domestic market. There is no earning, so how we can pay wages and salaries. It is not possible," Ralhan, an engineering goods exporter, said.

He said that the association has approached the Supreme Court under Article 32 of the Constitution challenging the validity and vires of section 10(2)(l) of Disaster Management Act, 2005 and for setting aside of government order dated March 29 issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The association has contended in the petition that the Disaster Management Act, 2005 does not empower the Centre to direct the private establishments to pay full wages to its workers during the lockdown.

"Government Order dated March 29, 2020, is in violation of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1948, which provides for payment of 50 per cent wages under natural calamity. The government issued the order in undue haste and without considering financial ability of private establishments to bear the burden of full wages during the period of lockdown," he said.

He added that when hundreds of crores of unclaimed provident fund and Employees State Insurance Corporation contribution lies in banks attracting interest, the direction to private establishments to pay full wages is completely "arbitrary and unreasonable".