About 18000 workers at the major ports will be on strike from August 28. The action is planned by port workers at a crucial time when exports are high as businesses in the US and European markets have started stocking for the Christmas and year end sales. All essential services like containers, coal, iron ore will not be moved in and out of the major ports. Even vessel berthing will be stopped as port workers operate the tugs used to berth the vessels.
Stoppage of work at major ports will cause a diversion of traffic to minor ports, which are expected to jack up handling charges as demand will rise dramatically.
An earlier settlement inked between major ports and workers on August 30, 2018 had expired on December 31, 2021 and a new agreement should have been in place from January 1, 2022, said T. Narendra Rao, General Secretary, Water Transport Workers’ Federation of India (CITU). Negotiations between port authorities and the worker unions have failed to reach a logical conclusion.
