Vasan calls meet to allay port strike threat

With more than 60,000 and dock workers across the 12 major ports in the country threatening to go on an indefinite strike from September 15, Union Shipping Minister G K Vasan has called a meeting tomorrow to resolve the impasse between port federations and managements. The federations, however, are skeptical of a resolution. 

S R Kulkarni, veteran president of the dominant workers’ union, the All India Port and Dock Workers Federation, said: "The ministry has also tabled issues other than those related to wage revisions in the agenda for the meeting tomorrow. It does not seem they are keen to negotiate for a settlement." 

The federations have been demanding a 34 per cent hike over basic pay for more than two years. The ministry of shipping had constituted a 24-member Bipartite Wage Negotiation Committee, with an equal number of representatives from the two sides, to look into the issue. However, talks failed on August 27, with the managements refusing to offer a raise beyond 18 per cent, triggering the nationwide protest. 

"Traffic at the major ports have increased manifold over the last seven years. The number of workers at the ports have decreased from 150,000 to around 60,000. Productivity has improved. The management has no reason not to consider our demands," Kulkarni said. 

Replies Rahul Asthana, Chairman of the Mumbai Port Trust and Vice-Chairman of the management body, the Indian Ports Association: "It is not possible to sustain our operations if we agree to the unions’ demand for a 34 per cent hike over basic pay, especially in such times when traffic has fallen sharply in the wake of the global recession."