Tea movement from the warehouses at the Kochi auctions has been resumed following the withdrawal of strike by a section of trade unions, demanding wage revision.

A conciliatory meeting held by Kerala Head Load Workers Welfare Board has decided to effect a 10 per cent hike in loading charges for workers against the demand of 15 per cent made by Cochin Thuramugha Thozhilali Union (CTTU), one of the prominent trade unions in Willingdon Island.

Officials in the Tea Buyers Association of Cochin said that the withdrawal of strike has come as a major relief both for tea exporters and local buyers as around 50 lakh kg of brew has been piled up in the godowns of Willingdon Island, hitting the movement to various destinations. CTTU was on strike for the past one week, bringing to a halt despatch of tea, thereby putting exporters in a precarious position in meeting their export commitments at the fag-end of the financial year.

‘The labour issue has been settled by agreeing to a 10 per cent hike with effect from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2023. However, the current wages are much higher than anywhere else and the trade is not in a position to extent any increase in wages especially during Covid times when there is a subdued demand for tea in the auctions”, a leading buyer in Kochi auctions said.

At present, the trade is giving ₹15.5 per kg as loading charge in the Willingdon Island area, while the rates at the neighbouring Mattanchery area was ₹8.75, he added.

The management of Cochin Port Trust was also against implementing any wage hike at this juncture, especially when there is a significant drop in cargo handling. The port wanted to maintain the existing wages to remain competitive among neighbouring ports and was believed that any hike at this stage would make cargo handling unviable.

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