The fourth round meeting of the bi-partite wage negotiation committee (BWNC) of the managements of major ports and dockyards and workers decided here recently that the periodicity of settlement would be five years and the annual increment of wages would be three per cent.
According to T. Narendra Rao, the General Secretary of the National Water Transport Workers Federation of India, the next round of talks would be held at New Mangalore Port Trust on January 4 and 5, where an agreement on the fitment of wages might be reached.
The four rounds of talks had been fruitful and many of the demands of the workers had been addressed, he said.
However, the issue of fitment was still being negotiated.
The federation has decided to observe December 13 as National Demands Day seeking immediate redressal of their charter of demands.