Bike rally held to reinstate suspended NAD workers – All you need to know

On December 8, a bike rally was held in Visakhapatnam demanding the reinstatement of the suspended workers of Naval Armament Depot (NAD).

The rally started at NAD and ended at Gandhi’s statue near the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation office.

The rally was followed by a public meeting at which the employees expressed their disappointment towards the management’s decision to suspend 36 workers.

An overview of what happened in the past

Earlier on December 5, the Defense Chairman of the Coordination Committee (DCC), Reddy Ventaka Rao, called for the immediate reinstatement of all 36 workers who were suspended at the NAD.

While addressing the media, he said that the management had suspended as many as 36 workers on November 22, as the workers and leaders gathered at the CGM’s (Chief General Manager)office and demanded extra pay for the overtime work they did in the past.

Among these suspensions, there are employees who were not present in the CGM office, and those who were on leave as well.

AV Thomas, the honorary President of NAD Civil Employees Union, also stated that despite the signing off on the overtime (OT) records, the CGM refused to approve them.

“For the last twenty years, the workers and supervisors at NAD have worked beyond overtime to meet the demand… however, the CGM declared the OT earned by workers as against the law and refused to compensate for it” the Chairman added.

The Chairman also recalled that, since the CGM took charge, OT work has been extended after 8 pm and they had to work Saturdays and Sundays as well without any compensation, violating the same Factories Act.

When the management was questioned, it threatened the workers of Naval Armament Depot with disciplinary action. In the wake of all these incidents, the workers of the Naval Armament Depot conducted a bike rally in Visakhapatnam.

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