Court orders Kochi port workers to end strike

An indefinite strike launched on February 2 by a section of private sector workers at the Kochi Port was withdrawn on Wednesday after an interim order from the High Court of Kerala, directing the Cochin Port Trust authorities to maintain the operations of Rajiv Gandhi Container Terminal (RGCT) for three more months, reported The Hindu.


Charles George, general convenor of the trade union coordination committee that called for the strike, said the court order, though an interim one, was a victory for the workers. He said the stand taken by the state government helped the workers in at least partially achieving their goals.


He said the strike was withdrawn in the afternoon on Wednesday and that movement of cargo to and from the port premises had started soon after the decision.


Though the strike had been withdrawn, the trade unions would continue to exert pressure on the authorities to find a permanent solution to the problems they had highlighted through the strike, he added.


The trade union leader claimed that the coordination committee represented nearly 10,000 private sector workers and that the strike was also meant to draw attention to the protection of a public sector undertaking like the Cochin Port Trust.
(Source:http://www.cargonewsasia.com)