Protest against ‘victimization’ of drivers

An indefinite strike by a section of container trailer drivers serving the International Container Transshipment Terminal in Kochi has hit movement of inbound cargo in the terminal area. Outbound consignments are reportedly stranded on the factory premises. The strike entered the sixth day on Sunday after a round of reconciliation talks convened by the District Collector failed to reach a consensus on the issues raised by the drivers and their representatives.

The strike, called by Container Thozhilali Sangh, is in protest against what the trade union leaders describe as “victimization” of the drivers by the transport and police authorities over the issue of overloading of vehicles. K.V. Madhukumar, district secretary of the Sangh, said the talks cannot be convened at the local level as many incidents of penalisation for overloading did not take place in Kochi.

'Transport authority must mediate'

According to the Sangh leader, the State transport authority should intervene to settle the issue. He reiterated that the drivers had no say in the loading of the vehicles and were not liable to punishment. The loading parties or the container transshipment terminal or even the port authority had to take a view of the issue, he added.

The Indian Chamber of Commerce had expressed its worries over the ongoing strike and its president Rajesh Agarwal had said in a statement that the strike had caused “huge revenue loss” for the port’s customers. It is also learnt that coming ahead of the Christimas-New Year season, the strike had affected business fortunes seriously.

Meanwhile, a statement from the Kochi Container Terminal Operator India Gateway Terminal, part of DP World, said the terminal operations had record performance for October. The terminal handled more than 51,000 TEUs in a month, said the statement.

The growth is due to the rise in cargo traffic from the hinterland of Tamil Nadu, which consists of cargo such as coir, coco peat, garments, activated carbon and machinery. The terminal witnessed 25 per cent growth in volume in October 2017 compared to its performance in October last year.