Date:25/09/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/25/stories/2008092559140100.htm

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Containers held up at port as strike continues

Staff Reporter

Frequent work disruption at port worries officials
Last month, there was work only for 19 days

KOCHI: “We are totally at a loss,” said a senior official of India Gateway Terminals Private Limited (IGTL), running the Rajiv Gandhi Container Terminal for Cochin Port Trust, as a flash strike by container trailer lorry drivers and crew entered the third day on Wednesday.

More than 5,000 containers are stranded as no lorry movements were possible from Monday night. Two vessels, which had arrived at the terminal ahead of the strike, were discharged of containers on Wednesday. But this meant more congestion at the terminal as no outward movement is possible.

The strike has come at a time when exporters are rushing to meet their Christmas and New Year commitments, said an IGTL official as he anguished over the frequency of work disruption at Kochi. He said that the issue before the workers was a law and order problem. The IGTL official said that loss of workdays had now become typical of Kochi. Last month terminal operations were restricted to 19 days owing to local strikes, holidays and a national strike. This is set to be repeated in October with several calendar holidays, including days of Puja.

It is difficult to do 30 days’ work in 20 days, said the IGTL official as he pointed to the average detention time of nearly 10 days for containers at Kochi port. In Mumbai it is less than one day and in Chennai it is one day, he said.

The strike was started by the trailer lorry drivers and crew who were allegedly beaten up by personnel of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) Monday night.

Conciliatory efforts made by the Central Regional Labour Commission K.. Shashidhar failed as trailer lorry drivers and crew stuck to their demands.