KoPT's wage bill to jump 30-40%

The wage bill of the Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) is set to jump by 30-40 per cent very soon with an annual impact of Rs 110-120 crore a year.

"The wage negotiations has almost reached consensus, but not yet signed. We will see a sharp increase in wage and pension burden for the port. The impact will be around Rs 100- 120 crore a year," KoPT chairman RPS Kahlon told PTI.

Port officials said the current annual salary, wage and pension burden was close to Rs 300 crore a year.

Pension had been a major issue for the port and it had levied a special rate of four per cent for the last three years for it.

The port also received an extension of special rate of four per cent from Tariff Authority for Major Ports till the implementation of the new scale of rates.

The KoPT had revised tariff rates for three years from 2013 from TAMP for which port users have complained that the rise was sharp.

KoPT was already a high user charge port and over and above it the new rates seeing a sharp jump would impact users, Calcutta Customs House Agents Association President S K Koley said.