Chennai Port Authority Officers Hold Black-Badge Protest to Highlight Pay Anomaly
Chennai:
Port Wings News Network:
Following a black-badge protest by officers of V.O. Chidambaranar Port Authority in Thoothukudi two weeks ago to highlight pay disparities affecting Class I and Class II officers, officers of Chennai Port Authority staged a similar protest on October 22, 2026, within the port premises.
The protest aimed to draw the attention of the Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways to the long-pending pay disparity issue and urge an early resolution.
Explaining the issue, which has remained unresolved for the past 14 years, R. Santhanam, President of the Indian Major Ports and Dock Officers’ Association, said, “The five-yearly pay revision for Class I and Class II officers working at India’s 12 major government-controlled ports has remained pending for years, affecting nearly 8,000 serving and retired officials.”
Santhanam said, “Following the pay revision undertaken in 2012, revised pay scales were implemented for Class III and Class IV employees within the stipulated five-year period. However, the revision for Class I and Class II officers is yet to be implemented. In an attempt to resolve the issue and settle the disparity amicably, the Ministry of Shipping announced an interim payment of 17.5% in 2017. However, this measure has failed to provide a comprehensive solution to the pay- and pension-related grievances. We continue to pursue the matter through the courts, but no relief has been granted so far.”
Santhanam said: “When the wage revision extended to Class III & IV employees, their pay was substantially increased and most of the Class II Officers started getting lesser salary than that of Class III employees. Thus there had been complete chaos, anomaly in the matter of pay of the Class I & II Officers. Our Association submitted various representations regarding glaring pay anomaly insofar Class I & II officers giving details and examples as to how Class III employees are drawing more pay that Class II Officers.”
The association pointed out that more than 2,400 serving Class I and Class II officers across the major ports are affected by the prolonged delay. Retired officials, too, continue to face difficulties in receiving their rightful pension benefits, it said.
A retired officer of the Chennai Port Authority said that the delay in pay revision had also affected pension benefits. He stated that his monthly pension was around ₹16,000 less than that of a Class III employee who retired from the port last year.
Urging the authorities to address these grievances, the association called for a review of the pending pay revision and pension benefits, along with appropriate remedial measures.
“We urge Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal and the Government of India to resolve this long-standing injustice at the earliest. Port officials must be given the recognition they deserve for their service, along with fair pay and pension benefits, without further delay,” Santhanam added.
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