PANJIM: As truck owners continue their agitation demanding a hike in iron ore transportation rates, Vedanta-Sesa Goa on Thursday warned the labour unions that they will have to resort to ‘no-work-no-pay’ if transportation of ore is not resumed by December 15.
“The company management clearly told us that efforts are on to resume iron ore exports after three years. But the current crisis created by some truck owners has stopped the transportation of ore resulting in cancellation of a shipment. The company has to resort to no-work-no-pay from December 15 onwards if transport is not resumed,” Sesa Goa Workers Unions President Devanand Parab said.
The company had to cancel a shipment to China scheduled this week after a section of truck owners agitated demanding higher rates. Iron ore transportation by company had resumed last month after a three-year ban.
On Thursday morning, union members met with the company management in Panjim. “The management told us that the salary liabilities on the company were met by procuring a bank loan. But now, considering the low export price for the ore, even banks have refused to loan the amount,” Parab said.
A senior Sesa Goa official said the company had planned the export of one million metric tonnes of ore in December. The first shipment carrying 88,000 metric tonnes has been dispatched to China. But the second shipment, which was scheduled to leave the port on December 8, and later postponed to December 12 has now been cancelled due to the transportation strike.
Officials said the company has signed an agreement with 600 truck owners to transport ore from mining sites but the truckers are afraid of the backlash after the recent incident wherein a truck was burnt by a mob.
