Chennai terminal workers on `go slow' again
Our Bureau
CHENNAI, June 11
AFTER a 10-day break, problems at the Chennai port container terminal
have started again, with the terminal workers resorting to a `go
slow'.
The workers this time are protesting against the revised agreement
on the productivity-linked incentive scheme, which the Ministry
of Surface Transport (Shipping) offered to the unions last week.
Sources said in the first shift, in container terminal berth (CTB)-I,
the handling was 52 moves per gang per shift, compared to the
normal handling of 90-110 moves per gang per shift. The handling
at CTB-II and CTB-III was 31 and 47 moves per gang per shift respectively.
According to sources, the terminal workers also took out a procession
inside the harbour, affecting work.
Meanwhile, the Chennai Port Trust (ChPT) Chairman has called for
a meeting on Tuesday with port users to chalk out the future course
of action, following today's `go slow', sources said.
As per the revised incentive scheme, the workers need to handle
22,000 boxes a month, instead of 19,000 boxes, as was agreed upon
in the earlier agreement.
Further, the revised scheme would be applicable retrospectively
from January 1, 2001, while the workers want the scheme to take
effect from 1997.
The workers are protesting the new handling stipulation, and feel,
given the infrastructure in the terminal, handling 22,000 boxes
would not be possible. The workers are also sore over the unilateral
decision taken by the Ministry in revising the incentive scheme
and also increasing the workload, sources said.
Sources said the workers plan to handle around 60 moves per gang
per shift, and if a decision was not taken by Wednesday, work
would be stopped completely.
(The Hindu Business Line)
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