NEW DELHI – Work in 11 major ports in India remained disrupted as the port workers’ indefinite strike entered the second day Wednesday [19th January] even as the navy moved in to carry out cargo operations.
No fresh talks were initiated between the striking workers and the government ever since the dialogue on 17th January failed to provide a breakthrough, official sources said and indicated that government might ask port authorities to move court to have the strike declared illegal.
The government said that ports, including that in Chennai [Madras], Calcutta and New Mangalore, had considerably stepped up cargo handling Wednesday but admitted that up to 80 per cent class three and four employees at these ports stayed away from work.
Over 100,000 workers are participating in the strike, spearheaded by five federations to press for better wages and maintaining status quo of periodicity of wage revision at five years, union leaders said.
Surface Transport Secretary R. Vasudevan [name as received] told PTI that no untoward incident was reported on the second day of the strike and all essential services at all the major ports remained unaffected.
Meanwhile, apex industry chambers protested against the strike at ports saying loss of a day’s work was costing the economy at least 15bn rupees and urged the trade unions to end the agitation.
A total of 50 movements of merchant ships have been carried out by the Indian navy with the help of 1,000 personnel, including 50 officers.
The government said cargo handling at some ports was as high as 81 per cent, adding liquid cargo was handled at Mumbai [Bombay] uninterrupted while at Chennai 30,000 tonnes of cargo was handled against 4,760 tonnes Tuesday.
Calcutta handled 35,000 tonnes of cargo which was 43 per cent of normal operations, Jawahar Lal Nehru Port [JLNP] Trust, Mumbai handled 10,000 tonnes (32.5 per cent), Calcutta handled 35,600 tonnes (43 per cent) and Visakhapatnam handled 37,317 tonnes accounting for 44 per cent of normal activity, an official release said.
The Tuticorin Port handled 22,922 tonnes of cargo, which amounted to 81.3 per cent of normal operations.
Labour Minister Satyanarain Jatiya appealed to the striking workers to call off their strike and expressed hope that ongoing negotiations would yield results.
Reports from Calcutta said cargo handling work was seriously affected, adding two ships arrived during the day at the Calcutta dock and three at the Netaji Subhas dock carrying petroleum product, rapeseed oil, log and imported container. One crude oil tanker also arrived at Haldia.
The 11 ports, Kandla, Mumbai, JNPT, Goa, New Mangalore, Cochin, Tuticorin, Madras, Visakhapatnam, Paradip and Calcutta, together handle around 250m tonnes of cargo per annum.
All India Port and Dock Workers’ Federation, All India Port and Dock Workers’ Federation (workers), Indian National Port and Dock Workers’ Federation, Ports, Docks and Waterfront Workers’ Federation of India, and Water Transport Workers’ Federation of India are taking part in the strike.
