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Our Bureau

Kochi , Sept. 29

THE flash-strike called by Kochi Port workers on Wednesday afternoon was withdrawn on Thursday evening following tripartite talks between the port management, workers and the container terminal operator India Gateway Terminal Pvt Ltd (IGTPL).

The workers have demanded early disbursement of salary, prior to the scheduled date of the last working day of every month.

The strike has resulted in the disruption of container movement inside the wharves, hampering the loading and unloading operations in the gantry berth. Most of the containers meant for exports and imports are lying idle in the wharf and two container vessels are even waiting in the outer channel of the port waiting berthing schedule.

A senior official of IGTPL, which employs the Kochi Port workers, said the demand made by workers was not a valid one and the company had not violated any wage agreement or service conditions of workers.

However, IGTPL has made arrangements to draw salary with pay slips before September 30 to those workers who have bank accounts. For those not having bank accounts, the company has made special arrangements to disburse the salary in cash in the terminal premises itself.

During the meeting, the workers have also given an assurance that work stoppages would not be repeated in future considering the importance of terminal operations.

Moreover, the port had also informed that it would intimate to the company to align payment whenever it wanted early disbursement.

The 352 employees of the port management taken over by India Gateway, a subsidiary floated by Dubai Ports to operate the container terminal from April 1, had sought salary on Wednesday, on the day their counterparts in other departments received the wages.

But the company's stand was that the salary would be disbursed only on the last day of every month as per the terms and conditions charted out by it.

The workers' demand was on the ground that the next two days (Thursday and Friday) were holidays for the bank on account of the nationwide general strike as well as half yearly closing of the bank.

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