The Hindu Business Line : Human resource and labour relations: Changing image of Kochi port

The commitment of the Cochin Port management in opening up of effective channels of communication with trade union leaders has paid off in terms of lower handling costs and a transparent cargo handling system, while genuine issues of the unions are also given utmost consideration.

V. Sajeev Kumar

The Cochin Port, which is now on the threshold of a major development spurt, with preliminary work on the multi-crore International Container Transhipment Terminal (ICTT) at Vallarapadom progressing without too many hitches, is currently witnessing a sea change in labour relations, in what is a welcome relief.

“This is in tune with the paradigm shift that is fast taking place in the realm of Human Resource (HR) in India as a whole” says Mr Cyril C. George Secretary, Cochin Port Trust, who heads the Administration Department.

He added that the attitude and work culture of employees has, of late, changed markedly for the better, and contributed to the overall development of the port.

This is heartening, as the human resource practices of Indian ports, especially Cochin Port, have for long been rather indifferent and have not conveyed a positive image. “But this was mostly exaggerated and mainly due to misinformation,” says Mr George.

Good sense prevails

The reasons for less productivity in different areas of port operations were conveniently attributed to the human resource factor, especially when Cochin Port could not develop and grow at the same pace as other major ports in the country because of various reasons.

“Of course, Cochin Port Trust has strong and effective trade unions, unlike in most other ports. However, of late, they have started showing the much-needed maturity to join hands with the Port Trust for the sustainable development of the Port”, Mr George points out.

He also said that, today, things are quite different at the port, thanks to the strong commitments of the port management and opening up of effective channels of communication with trade union leaders. More than 70 per cent of the cargo of Cochin Port is oil and the products of BPCL and Kochi Refineries, and the port traffic depends heavily on this cargo.

It may be recalled that when there was a move in 2002 to shift the activities of Kochi Refineries to Manakodam, outside the limits of Cochin Port, which would have been detrimental to the port; trade unions and management joined hands with each other to see that the move was shelved.

Recently, the port management has started an initiative called Consultative Forum, in which a cross-section of employees and all trade unions and trade representatives meet and deliberate on various issues affecting the port employees.

During the Forum meeting, unions make valuable proposals for the development of the port and welfare of the employees, which help the management identify the various vital issues affecting the port and, often, to take corrective steps.

Positive signals

A recent example of the positive developments in labour relations at the port is connected with the Vallarpadom ICTT project. Initially, eight prominent trade unions of the port formed Thuramugha Samrakshana Samithi (TSS) and opposed the project as certain aspects were not acceptable to the unions.

The Port Trust Management took the initiative of bringing the unions together at the negotiating table. A long collective bargaining process has been on between the core committees from the management and the unions and, finally, a tripartite settlement was signed on January 31, 2005 with the port management, all the unions and DP World management, settling all labour issues.

It is pertinent to mention here that the settlement also provided for deputation of 352 employees who were working in RGCT to DP World.

“Undoubtedly, this agreement was the path that facilitated launching of the project by handing over the Rajiv Gandhi Container Terminal on April 1, 2005.This settlement also facilitated deputation of 352 port employees who worked in the Terminal to DP World management. This is a historical and path-breaking settlement which was achieved with great vision and the co-operation of union leaders,” said Mr George.

In the recent past, the stagnant productivity level at Cochin Port Trust was an area of concern when other ports in the country were growing at rates of 15-20 per cent, and scaling new cargo throughput heights of 50 million tonnes and more. A joint intervention by the management has succeeded in putting an end to many unhealthy and restrictive practices, such as illegal collection of money going on at the port for a long time that pushed up handling costs and caused flight of cargo to other ports.

Joint efforts pay

“The joint efforts helped in eliminating all these practices at the Port, resulted in lower handling costs and have ensured a transparent cargo handling system. While the port management follows a policy of firm commitment and discipline, genuine issues of the unions and workers are given utmost consideration and priority which helped to develop confidence among all stake-holders of the port,” said Mr George.

The Port did not lose any man-days because of general strikes in the last decade — a fact not known to many outside the port. It is also a positive that those who are at the head of most of the trade unions are leaders of national stature with a genuine concern for development and the port’s prospects.

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