Colombo Port workers allege ‘Indian pressure’, to go on indefinite strike over ECL development

Colombo, July 2

Workers on the strategic Colombo Port on Thursday threatened to go on an indefinite strike to protest towards the “Indian pressure” to forestall Sri Lanka from creating a deep-sea container terminal of the nation’s largest and busiest port.

The announcement of the strike comes a day after Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa instructed reporters that no remaining resolution had been made but at hand over the event of the Eastern Container Terminal (ECT) to India.

“This was a diplomatic agreement with India signed by the last government — an agreement between President Sirisena and Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi,” he stated.

The earlier Sirisena authorities had signed a “memorandum of cooperation” (MOC) with India and Japan for a tripartite effort to develop the ECT which is situated simply subsequent to the $500 million Chinese-run Colombo International Container Terminal (CICT).

Although the MOC was accomplished final yr, a proper settlement for the terminal growth is but to be signed and the commerce unions have been urgent the federal government to desert the MOC and develop the terminal as a 100 per cent Sri Lankan enterprise.

“We will go on an indefinite strike until the matter is resolved,” stated Prasanna Kalutharage, a commerce union chief.

“We have decided to take this issue further and we hope to meet President Gotabaya Rajapaksa,” he stated, including that their talks with the ports minister had not been fruitful.

The commerce unions are protesting towards the alleged “Indian pressure” to forestall Sri Lanka from creating the ECT by itself.

Last week, the port staff staged demonstrations to induce the authorities to put in three newly-imported gantry cranes on the ECT. The cranes had been imported to be put in on the Jaya Container Terminal which is run by the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA).

The port staff demanded the federal government set up the cranes on the ECT to scuttle the MOC between India and Japan. At least three staff mounted a gantry crane on the port on Wednesday demanding the state consent to run the ECT terminal by the SLPA.

“We have had talks with the trade unionist to settle the issue amicably. The gantry cranes were not imported for the ECT but for another terminal,” stated Daya Ratnayake, the SLPA chairman.

Trade unions have known as for the expediting of the event of the East Terminal and are towards handing it over to a overseas nation.  Colombo Port is the biggest and busiest port in Sri Lanka. Located on the southwestern shores on the Kelani River, it serves as an vital terminal in Asia because of its strategic location within the Indian Ocean. PTI