The protest day organised by the Water Transport Workers’ Federation in all the major ports was total.

The Federation, in a representation to the Union Shipping Secretary, sought an amicable settlement to their demands, T. Narendra Rao, General Secretary, WTWFI said.

He pointed out that WTWFI asked the Chennai Port management to take up the construction of the mega terminal project instead of developing it under the BOT/PPP model. They said the mineral ore handling plant (MOHP) of Visakhapatnam Port should not be privatised and the employment of 450 workers engaged there should be safeguarded.

The Federation said while claiming budgetary support for the development of the outer harbour project at VOC Port (Tuticorin), for which the Centre had allocated Rs 7,500 crore, the port management was looking for a BOT/PPP operator for the project.

Rao said the federation wanted the project to be executed and operated by the port management. The Federation was of the view that no private ports/minor ports should be allowed near the vicinity of the major ports.

If any such necessity arises, the project should be handed over to the major ports and it should be under its control as advised by the Parliamentary standing committee on ‘Modernisation of Major Ports’, he said.

The dredging subsidy given to the Kolkata/Haldia Port for maintenance of channel dredging should not be reduced, he said.

To promote healthy competition and a level playing field among new generation ports, he said the major ports should be removed from the purview of TAMP.

The Federation also demanded that the Ministry expedite the process of the Bipartite Wage Negotiating Committee’s deliberations and arrive at an amicable settlement with the five recognised labour federations.

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