Negotiations on to end strike at Kochi port

Our Bureau

Kochi, Oct 22: Negotiations among Cochin Port Trust (CoPT) authorities, trailer lorry owners and leaders of the two trade unions spearheading an agitation by trailer and container transport workers continued late into the night on Thursday with some glimmer of hope of ending the two-day-old stir. Trade union leaders said Thursday afternoon, before the negotiations go underway, that they expected a positive outcome from the negotiations. Discussions on Wednesday ended inconclusively.

About 600 drivers and cleaners working on container lorries belonging to the Centre for Indian Trade Unions and Kerala Private Motor and Engineering Employees' Sena had declared an indefinite strike from Tuesday demanding higher wages and better working conditions. They are demanding 50 to 60 per cent hike in wages and allowances with the earlier wage settlement ending on October 23.

Container Carrier Owners' Welfare Association, has on the other hand, said that the demands put forward by the workers are unjustifiable with allround recession. A strike will only help destroy the industry, said K M K Nair, secretary of the Container Carrier Owners' Welfare Association.

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