Government extends productivity reward scheme for port employees

NEW DELHI: The government today gave nod for extension of a scheme for payment of productivity-linked reward to port and dock employees to the current fiscal, a move that will benefit about 44,000 workers and officers.

"The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi today gave its approval for extending the existing Productivity Linked Reward (PLR) Scheme for port and dock employees for payment of Productivity Linked Reward from 2014-15 to 2015-16. The payment of PLR will be made after adjusting the ad-hoc amount already paid for 2014-15," an official statement said.

The expenditure on account of PLR shall be borne by major port trusts and dock labour boards from their own resources without any budgetary support from the government.

"This will benefit some 44,000 major ports and dock workers/employees/officers and will help ensure a better industrial relationship and congenial work atmosphere in the port sector, apart from stimulating better productivity," the statement added.

The major port trusts/dock labour boards will be immediately informed on due dates to make payment of PLR, as per the existing scheme, to all employees/ workers/officers for years 2014-15 and 2015-16, it said.

There are 12 major ports in the country -- Kandla, Mumbai, JNPT, Marmugao, New Mangalore, Cochin, Chennai, Ennore, V O Chidambarnar, Visakhapatnam, Paradip and Kolkata (including Haldia) handle approximately 61 per cent of the country's total cargo traffic.