The Hindu Business Line : Chennai box terminal operations hit as workers strike

The dispute is about compensation to be paid for a crane operator who died at his home. Both yard and vessel operations have come to a standstill, according to sources.

The workers have volunteered to give the family of the deceased one months' salary - which works out to about Rs 30 lakh - and are demanding that Chennai Container Terminal Ltd (CCTL) also pay an equivalent amount. CCTL's management has declined to do so.

The CCTL, the private terminal operator, termed the strike as "illegal." "They never informed us about the strike," Mr Ennarasu Karunesan, Terminal Manager, CCTL, told Business Line. At a meeting today, the shipping trade has given its full support to CCTL, he said.

The trade has suggested CCTL to be firm with workers and not compromise.

It may be recalled that a few months ago, the workers agreed that they would not go on strike for the next 30 years. They gave this in writing in an agreement with CCTL signed in front of the regional labour commissioner, said an official from the trade who was in the meeting. "The trade is fully backing CCTL this time," the official said. In the meeting, the trade members suggested CCTL to give a notice to workers asking them to join duty immediately, else face punishment, including impounding of the entry passes, the official said.

Meanwhile, due to the strike there is a long queue of trailers, with export containers, stranded in North Chennai.

Mr Aasai Thambi representing drivers and cleaners of these trailers told Business Line that the internal problem at CCTL was hurting them badly. "We are caught in between the CCTL management and its workers. Due to the long queue, there is a law and order problem in North Chennai, and nobody is coming to our help," he said.

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