Nearly 4,000 port workers across the country protested against the government’s port-related policies, including replacing Major Port Trust Act 1963 by Major Port Authorities Act 2016 and implementing a revised Stevedoring Policy.

“We observed a national protest day at all major ports to urge the shipping ministry to desist from its move to replace Major Port Trust Act in the pretext of structural changes in port sector,” said T Narendra Rao, general secretary, Water Transport Workers Federation of India.

Replacement of Major Port Trust Act 1963 will be first step to privatise major ports. At the call of the federation, all of its affiliated unions observed the protest in front of the ports, he told BusinessLine .

Stevedoring policy

The federation urged the Centre not to implement the new stevedoring policy, which will empower private stevedores to handle cargoes on board ships and on shore. This will result in cargo handling workers becoming surplus or redundant and eventually ‘thrown out of jobs,’ he said.

On the Enayam container transshipment project planned in Kanyakumari district, Rao said the initial investment for the project should be made by the shipping ministry and funds allotted from budgetary provisions instead of ordering VOC Port at Tuticorin, Chennai Port Trust and Kamarajar Port Ltd at Ennore to collectively pay ₹1,000 crore, he said.

Rao said port development projects should not be given under PPP/BOT model and structural change or conversion of DP World as ‘Hindustan Private Ports Ltd’ should not be permitted as it would hamper the contracts entered between the Major Ports and DP World in the Ports such as Kochi, JNPT& Chennai.

The ministry should fill up all exiting vacancies in the port sector as large number of perennial nature of jobs are vacant and being given out on contract, or outsourced by appointing fulltime contract employees in these vacancies, he said.

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