Andaman & Nicobar Forest Department Workers Union Levels Mass Demonstration

Tarun Karthick

Port Blair, 26 August 2023

In a present of unity and willpower, members of the Andaman & Nicobar Forest Department Workers Union affiliated to CITU, gathered for a mass demonstration on August 25, 2023, at 4 p.m. in entrance of the workplace of the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests in Haddo, Port Blair. The demonstrators voiced their calls for, which included steady service for all Daily Rated Mazdoors of Forest Department, an finish to the classification of Daily Rated Mazdoors as seasonal staff, grant of 1/thirtieth Pay to all DRMs of Forest Department, and regularisation of their companies.

Hundreds of Forest Department staff hailing from Port Blair and rural areas of South Andaman actively participated within the demonstration, highlighting the urgency and significance of their calls for.

Addressing the passionate crowd, B. Chandrachoodan, General Secretary of CITU A & N State Committee, issued a stern warning to Forest Department authorities in opposition to disengaging any day by day rated employee presently employed. He emphasised that CITU and affiliated unions would provoke agitations if the Forest Department proceeded to terminate the companies of those staff.

R. Surendran Pillai, President of the CITU State Committee, and SP Kalairajan, General Secretary of A & N Forest Department Workers Union, additionally took the stage to deal with the gathering, expressing their solidarity with the employees’ trigger.

Leading the Mass Demonstration have been D. Ayyappan, President of A & N Forest Department Workers Union, together with CITU State Secretaries Anand Rajan and M. Yugandar, in addition to Jagdhan, Joint Secretary, and V. Rushi, Treasurer of the Forest Union.

The demonstration highlighted the urgent points going through day by day rated forest staff within the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.