The Hindu Business Line : Mumbai port privatisation move to render 100 workers jobless

Mumbai, June 26 A move by Mumbai Port Trust that could render around 100 employees out of the 151 stationed on the port’s Ballard Pier Station jobless is being opposed by the Transport and Dock Workers’ Union of India.

According to the Union’s President, Mr S.R. Kulkarni, in doing so, the port is also violating the Government of India (Ministry of Shipping) guidelines on privatisation of ports.

He told Business Line, “As per the amended guidelines, ‘Private Sector Participation in Major Ports through Joint Ventures and Foreign Collaborations, dated June 1, 1998’ (the initial guidelines were formulated in 1996), before tendering the project for privatisation the port needs to ascertain the number of employees that will be rendered unemployed.

Also, as per the guidelines, all the existing employees need to be absorbed by the successful private bidder.”

Attempts to reach Mumbai Port Trust’s Secretary, Mr P. Mohana Chandran, for comments on the issue remained unsuccessful.

In December 2007, a licence agreement was arrived at between Mumbai Port and Indira Container Terminal Pvt Ltd or ICTPL (a subsidiary of Gammon India and Dragados SPL, Spain) for operation and management including necessary developments and augmentation of the facilities of BP station.

Development agreement

The parties also agreed for development, construction, operation and management of an Offshore Container Terminal in the Mumbai Harbour.

With reference to employment by ICTPL, the port issued a letter in 2007 saying that only 50 employees will be employed as a result of handing over the BPS Terminal to a private bidder. Also, the port issued a circular inviting the employees and workers to apply for jobs to Gammon India who bagged the offshore container terminal’s work on BOT basis.

‘non-negotiable condition’

Mr Kulkarni said that similar privatisation has been undertaken by Cochin Port Trust and Chennai Port Trust but the agreement between parties involved included “non-negotiable condition related to employment of all the employees of the ports who were working at the container terminal before it was handed over to the private bidder.”

The federations of dock workers along with Indian Port Association will be meeting in Mumbai on Friday to decide on the further course of action, Mr Kulkarni said.

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