Tamil Nadu   

Exporters worried as strike continues

By N. Ravi Kumar

CHENNAI, MAY 29. The appeal by trade and industry for ending the stalemate at the privatised container terminal of the Chennai port continued to grow louder as non-management workers stayed away from work for the sixth day today.

While exporters are worried about the loss on account of delay in shipping their goods, for manufacturing units in and around Chennai dependent on imported components it is a case of `so near yet so far,' as the containers remain inside the terminal.

Estimating the value of cargo in each export-container held up at the terminal at Rs.10 lakhs, an official of a leading chamber of commerce said several of the boxes contained perishable commodities including meat, egg and vegetables. Noting that such consequential losses were not covered under insurance, he said the plight could be worse for exporters, having to incur a huge cost to destroy the commodities if the buyer found them unfit for consumption. Exporters of other products, including garments, would be left with no option other than offering them at "deep discounts" to the buyers if the delivery was delayed.

Shipping industry sources said there were about 11,000 containers at the terminal, whose non-management workers stopped work on Sunday night demanding better working conditions and reinstatement of four suspended employees.

On its part, the Chennai Port Trust continued with its meetings with port users, trade and industry representatives and officials of Chennai Container Terminal Limited (CCTL), private operator of the facility.

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