Mangaluru: 5 Major Labour Unions oppose union govt move to privatize ports

Bellevision Media Network

Mangaluru, 05 Mar 2015: The five major national labour unions urged the union governtmt to shelve the proposal to privatize 13 major ports in the country.

 

 
Addressing the media persons here on Thursday March 5, INTUC Karnataka state president N M Adyantaya said that the union government is trying to kill the backbone of export industry by privatizing the national ports in the name of corporatization, alleged Adyantaya.

‘What is the need of handing over the ports when they are working efficiently, without taking a paisa from the government? As the years have progressed even though the number of labourers in 13 ports has reduced to 60,000 from 3 lac and the ports have touched new heights when it comes to the handling of goods and reaping profits,’ said Adyantaya.

‘In every port only 25 percent of the land acquired is actually used for port activities and rest of the land is unused. About 2,12,000 acre land is owned by the 13 major ports in the country. It is the conspiracy of the corporate to take a garb of this land,’ alleged Adyantaya.

‘Majority of the ports have been set up taking the land from the people with the condition that the land will be used only for port activities. Every person who had given the land in this regard has every right to question the privatization. Majority of the ports are set up with the same norms. At this backdrop, the government has to stop the privatization and let the ports work independently. If the government still continues with the proposal then all 5 labour unions will stage nationwide protest against this,’ cautioned Adyantaya.

INTUC executive president Rakesh Malli, NMPSA president Ramesh Poojary, AITUC general secretary V P Ashirvad, NMPSA general secretary Sudhakar Kamath and others were present on the occasion.