Central team ignored us, says faction of Haldia wokers

Kolkata : A day after a team from the Ministry of Shipping visited Haldia dock to take stock, a faction of retrenched labourers of ABG-led Haldia Bulk Terminal (HBT) claimed that team did not speak to them. The faction, whose agitation has been backed by Trinamool Congress MP Suvendu Adhikary, staged a protest at Ranichak area today.

Samiran Betal, secretary of INTTUC-affiliated Haldia Dock Complex Thika Shramik Mazdoor Union, said the report will be one-sided. “They did not call us to discuss our problems,” he said.

The labourers claimed they had been jobless for a month and the Centre had failed to look into their demands.

Krishna Prasad Adak, another member of the union, said, “The team spoke with officers of Haldia Dock Bachao Committee, but not with those who were retrenched.”

The team, however, did speak with another faction of retrenched labourers under INTTUC. These labourers spoke against Adhikary.

S Tripathy, deputy secretary of shipping, said, “We have spoken with all the representatives of Haldia and we will submit our report soon.”