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V. Sajeev Kumar

Kochi, June 20

The container trailer operators at Kochi Port are up in arms over the reported move of the State Government to fix fair wages to container drivers and cleaners in the State.

Speaking to Business Line, Mr M.K.M. Nair, President of the Cochin Container Carrier Owners Welfare Association, said that the owners were against the implementation of fair wages to container workers as it would have wide repercussions in the entire transport industry in the State.

The fixing of fair wages will result in 50-70 per cent increase in the current hire charges for container movement from the port, which will ultimately drive away all container business from Koch to neighbouring ports. Without imposing a sizeable increase to the current transportation charges, the question of implementing fair wages as well as commission to the container workers did not arise at all, he added.

According to Mr Nair, the Government in its efforts to fix fair charges to the motor transport industry had fixed around Rs 6,000 as basic pay for drivers and Rs 5,700 for cleaners in addition to dearness allowance.

Besides, the trailer crew is also eligible for the present rate of 12 per cent of hire charges as commission, which are being distributed to the drivers and cleaners. Apart from this, they are also eligible for ESI, PF, bonus etc.

He said that there are over 1.5 lakh trucks, including lorries and tankers, that are plying in the State and the system followed here is only 15 per cent of the commission to the crew on truck hire charges without payment of salary.

However, the container crew in the port area is already receiving much higher benefits than other truck crew.

A container trailer in Kochi Port is doing an average 20 trips in a month to various destinations and the average earnings are to the tune of more than Rs 10,000 a month apart from a monthly salary, he said.

If the State goes ahead with its move, Mr Nair pointed out that the working expense of vehicles in the State would shoot up, resulting in increased trip charges. This would ultimately benefit container trailers registered outside the State to transport cargo from the port.

The association also urged the Government to desist from fixing and implementing fair wages to container trailer crew and instead implement an “agreed fair wages” to be worked out mutually between the parties.

At a time when the Kochi Port is going ahead with its ambitions Vallarpadam Container Transhipment Terminal Project, the move to impose fair wages will be a blow to the hopes and aspirations of the Exim trade in Kochi, he added.

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