Petrapole border trade disrupted by labour dispute
Freight movement at India's busiest land port has been affected for 36 hours due to disagreements over work distribution.
Freight movement at the Petrapole land port has been disrupted for approximately 36 hours due to a dispute regarding the allocation of loading and unloading work, according to a report by Anandabazar cited by Urban Acres.
The disagreement involves various labour organisations, including the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) and the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU). The dispute has led to protests by workers and their families in parts of North 24 Parganas.
Union Minister Shantanu Thakur met with the Petrapole land port manager and proposed a new distribution where CITU would receive 30 per cent of the work and BMS would receive 70 per cent. Under this proposal, the BMS share would be split between BMS-1 at 50 per cent and BMS-2 at 20 per cent.
BMS Bongaon town committee secretary Rajib Goswami opposed the plan, stating that BMS is a single organisation and that no minister has the authority to divide it into two groups. He also questioned the allocation for CITU and warned of further agitation.
Bongaon truck loading and unloading workers’ union president Amit Basu said different organisations have operated at the border since 1991. He noted that dissatisfaction regarding wages and work distribution has grown, claiming nearly 90 per cent of workers decided not to work.
Kartik Chakraborty, secretary of the Petrapole port’s Clearing and Forwarding Association, said work inside the border complex is moving slowly as many workers are protesting outside. Minister Thakur stated that around 150 workers stopped work and about 300 opposed the action.