INTUC on collision course - opposes corporatizing major ports

INTUC on collision course - opposes corporatizing major ports

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Mar 6, 2015 :INTUC - Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) has taken a collision course against an announcement by union finance minister Arun Jaitley in his budget speech on corporatizing  major ports in India.

To protest this move, the five federations functioning in the major ports across India have issued strike notices to the respective port managements from March 9,  deferred by a week originally that should have been March 4, on a request from the central labour commissioner (CLC).  Twelve Indian ports including NMPT are going to stop functioning after March 13 as a part of protest against the move of corporatization of ports by central government. This was revealed at a press meet held here at Mangaluru on March 5.

Pointing out  this is NDA government’s second attempt at corporatizing the ports, N M Adyanthaya, former member of ILO Governing Body said the CLC has given a road map to resolve the issue. Accordingly, chairmen of all major ports in India will meet on March 9, take minutes of this meeting to the union shipping secretary on March 10 and 11, and then approach the CLC with the outcome of this two-pronged discussion on March 13, Adyanthaya noted.

If the whole process fails and union government does not categorically solve the fears of port workers on how it plans to corporatize the ports without affecting workers interests, the federations will have no choice but to go on an indefinite strike from March 14 onwards, he warned. Noting that the earlier NDA government headed by A B Vajpayee too had tried to corporatize the ports, Adyanthaya said a move to amend the Major Ports Trust Act (MPT) had then failed.

With the union shipping ministry planning to seek cabinet approval by end of this month to go ahead with the plan by amending the MPT Act, Adyanthaya said the decision will spell out a mechanism for valuation and transfer of assets, including the land when the Port Trust structure is changed in to a company. The major ports across India own 2.60-lakh acres of land between them and this will only open the way for sale of the assets to private players, he feared.

The major ports have already started revaluing their land to facilitate leasing and licensing in accordance with new land policy. Corporatizing of ports will pave the way for loss of jobs in the name of  reshaping the major ports. Noting that all the major ports have reported profits without any financial help from the union government and handled 555.49 million tonnes of cargo, he said, the union government should drop this move forthwith.  Rakesh Malli, working president INTUC, Ramesh Poojary, Sureshchandra Shetty, president (HMS) President NMPSA(HMS) and V P Ashirvad, General secretary AITUC were present at the press conference.