The cargo handling workers of New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT) – who began a strike on Saturday afternoon seeking the port to book them to work in the captive berth built by the UPCL (Udupi Power Thermal Corporation Ltd) – continued with the strike on Sunday also.

Though a section of them showed inclination to discontinue it in the evening, they were not allowed to work till this report was filed.

The UPCL has built a captive jetty to handle coal cargo at berth no. 15 in the port with an investment of Rs 230 crore under the BOT (build, operate, transfer) model on a 30-year lease.

The Chairman of NMPT, Mr P. Tamilvanan, told Business Line that some port workers wanted to have their gang labours to be booked for work in that berth.

Labour dilemma

According to the guidelines, the company that has developed the facility at the port will have its own people, as it constructed the berth and deployed the equipment.

Such BOT projects are manned by those who do them.

This was discussed with the union leaders before taking up this BOT project in NMPT, and they (unions) had agreed for it, he said.

Mr S. Gopalakrishna, Traffic Manager of the NMPT, said that the UPCL is the custodian of cargo, and others do not have rights to enter its premises to touch the cargo.

Some of the labour union leaders, who did not wished to be quoted, said that they cannot go against the sentiments of their members.

However, they agreed with the fact that workers cannot insist on the demand of booking them for projects like this which is a mechanised one.

They are trying to make them understand this fact, they said.

No consensus

Though there was a hope of starting the work at around 4 p.m. in the evening, as the port management had asked the port workers to resort to work and some of them agreed to it also, other workers prevented them from attending the work.

This dilemma was continuing till this report was filed.

>vinayakaj@thehindu.co.in

comment COMMENT NOW