Port workers' federation won't handle military cargo bound for Israel

Amid the escalating violence in Palestine, the Water Transport Workers Federation of India, a union of 3,500 port workers, has announced that it will refuse to load or unload all weaponised cargo bound for Israel.

The federation, which has representatives at 11 of the country’s 12 major ports, said that loading and unloading these weapons helps provide organisations with the ability to kill innocent people.

“Port workers, part of labour unions, would always stand against the war and killing innocent people like women and children. The recent attack of Israel on Gaza is plunging thousands of Palestinians into immense suffering and loss. Women and children have been blown to pieces in the war. Parents were unable to recognise their children killed in bombings which were exploding everywhere,” the federation said.

The federation also joined the international call for an immediate ceasefire in the region. Since October 7, strikes in Gaza by Israel have reportedly resulted in over 29,000 deaths and 69,000 injuries.

According to sources, there may be no impact of their move on the Indian ports. "This is a call by the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) to all affiliated unions globally to come out with such a stance on not handling ammunition to Israel. We are also doing it for solidarity,” said C D Nandakumar, president of the Water Transport Workers Federation of India.

Government officials in the know also said that the call from the union workers is not likely to have a major impact on port operations, as all such supplies are made in containers, and most containerised cargo is shipped via ports running their terminals in public-private-partnership (PPP) mode.

While port workers in PPP terminals have associations, sources said that unions are not particularly strong at these terminals as they’re on the payroll of the private operator.

The official added that there are around half a dozen ports from where weaponised cargo can be dispatched, as they’re the only ones designated for such cargo.

“No instructions have been communicated to port authorities with respect to this call by unions so far,” a top executive of a major port said, on condition of anonymity.