Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (NR)
Mangalore, Feb 20: An ardent plea was made for the provision of adequate safety facilities within New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT) by P M Mohammed Haneef, general secretary of All India Port and Dock Workers Federation (AIPDWF), as port and dock workers here have been facing severe health hazards.
Haneef was speaking to media persons here on Tuesday February 19. According to him, the employees were affected due to dust since the port handled large quantity of imported and exported cargo like iron ore fines, coal and coke. He urged for steps to be taken for preventing overload and non-covering of cargo inside the port.
With regard to vacant posts, Haneef entreated the government to fill up all the vacancies in the ports across the country at the earliest. He informed that in 1993 the number of workers at the major ports across the country was 1.3 lac, but now it has come down to 60,000. However, despite a decline in manpower by 34%, the productivity in ports has increased, he pointed out.
According to Haneef the cargo handling work in major ports has increased from 281 million tonnes in 2000-2001 to 463 million tonnes in the current financial year. Ports were hiring people on contract basis for the perennial and regular nature of job and such a trend is untenable as there will be no security for the employees, he added.
He also said that as per the settlement made on August 2, 2000, the Class III and IV employees must be given double payment for overtime work.'But this was not implemented in NMPT though it was implemented in other ports,' he rued and demanded that the authorities take steps in this regard at the earliest.
Moreover, according to him the ports had considerably reduced the number of its employees following various directives of the ministry of shipping. 'As a consequence, only essential duties to meet the immediate operational needs are managed by the existing staff. Rest of the duties are either left out or are outsourced,' he informed.
On the bonus scheme in port sector, Haneef informed that as per the provisions of settlement for payment of bonus signed between port management and representatives of recognised federations on April 10, 2007, port and dock workers should have been given these benefits.