TEAM HERALD
VASCO: Hundreds of employees of Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) affiliated to the Goa Port and Dock Employees Union staged a protest outside the MPT administrative building at Headland Sada, Mormugao, on Thursday, to protest against the privatisation of major ports across the country.
Addressing the employees, the speakers warned that if the MPT is privatised, the employees would lose their pension and there would be mass retrenchment.
They added that the ministry had failed to take all the five federations into confidence and decided to table the privatisation bill in the Parliament during the upcoming Budget session. Speaking to Herald, Union General Secretary Laxmikant Gaude said the government is planning to table the privatisation bill of all major ports in India in the upcoming Budget session.
“If the bill is passed, then all the assets and liabilities will be transferred to the private party and workers will not have employment guarantee. There is an apprehension that the private parties will direct the employees to retire under Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) or Compulsory Retirement Scheme (CRS),”
Gaude stated.
“Presently, MPT has four berths and four mooring dolphins and 2,000 employees are working at the port. If the government goes ahead with privatisation of the port, there is a threat to our livelihood,” Gaude added.
“The ministry of shipping did not discuss the issue with our union and it is surprising that without taking us into confidence decided it has to place the bill in the upcoming Budget session of Parliament,” he said.
Gaude said if the government does not listen to their outcry against the privatisation of major ports, then the union will decide future course of action after meeting all the five federations in Mumbai
on January 29.
