Pune: As the ongoing strike of 800 porters and head loaders continues in the grocery market of Market Yard despite a meeting between members of Hamal Panchayat and the traders, Agriculture Produce Market Commitee (APMC) officials have sent a letter to Hamal Panchayat asking labourers to resume work. However, it is unlikely that labourers will resume work as the Hamal Panchayat is firm on its stand to continue the payment to weighing operators even after the instalment of electronic weighing machines.
“We have conducted a meeting with traders and Hamal Panchayat and, after that, we have sent a letter stating that the final decision on this issue will be taken by the Minister of Marketing, Ram Shinde, in the next cabinet meeting. Meanwhile, they can resume the work in Market Yard,” the letter stated.
However, Hamal Panchayat is firm on its stand and wants a concrete decision to be taken on the fate of 46 weighing operators, who are jobless.
Nitin Pawar, Convener, Hamal Panchayat, said, “The labourers are not going to resume work as we are firm on our stand and it is very important that now there should be a concrete decision taken for these weighing operators. They have to take a serious decision, as it is not a small issue but a matter of 46 people.”
“We have already spoken to Minister of Marketing Ram Shinde earlier but nothing has happened and now we have decided and we are in the process of writing a letter to the Chief Minister, Director of Agro Marketing, Administrator APMC stating that a concrete decision should be taken on this issue by August 5 or else labour leader Baba Adhav would be sitting on an indefinite hunger strike,” added Pawar.
Around 800 porters and head loaders (those who unload trucks) in the wholesale grocery market of Market Yard are on an indefinite strike since Monday protesting implementation of the director of marketing’s rule that if electronic weighing machines are being used to weigh grains, there is no need to pay money for weighing. However, due to this, 46 weighing operators in Market Yard have been jobless for the past six months.
