Container truck drivers strike at Indian Terminal
A sudden strike by container truck drivers Sunday morning crippled cargo movements to and from the Vallarpadam International Container Transshipment Terminal, a DP World facility in India’s southeastern port of Cochin, the Journal of Commerce reported.
The Trade Union Coordination Committee, representing all labor groups in the terminal, is primarily protesting the Dubai-based company’s decision to ban the entry of vehicle cleaners into the terminal area on security grounds.
“Container trucking activity is at a complete standstill and if the strike is not called off immediately, shippers will be forced to divert time-sensitive cargoes to neighboring ports,” a shipping line agent at Cochin said.
Union leaders also said drivers had been demanding better amenities since the launch of VICTT in February this year, but terminal management refused to heed their repeated requests.
The terminal authority denied the allegations. “We are ready to consider all the demands raised by truckers, except the entry of cleaners into the terminal for security reasons," a DP World Cochin official said.
“Nearly 200 trucks are simply idling inside the terminal,” the shipping line agent said.
Reports said negotiations aimed at resolving the impasse, which is threatening to disrupt terminal operations, had not begun as of Tuesday afternoon.
The disruption is the latest in a string of work stoppages at Cochin after container activity was transferred to VICTT, touted as India’s first transshipment facility. The $600 million terminal is the first phase in DP World’s three-phase development at Vallarpadam -- offering an annual capacity of 1 million 20-foot equivalent units in the initial phase and 4 million TEUs when fully ready.
Cochin handled 312,000 TEUs in fiscal 2010-11, which ended March 31. Volume during April to May, the first two months of 2011-12, dropped to 47,000 TEUs from 54,000 TEUs a year earlier.
The Trade Union Coordination Committee, representing all labor groups in the terminal, is primarily protesting the Dubai-based company’s decision to ban the entry of vehicle cleaners into the terminal area on security grounds.
“Container trucking activity is at a complete standstill and if the strike is not called off immediately, shippers will be forced to divert time-sensitive cargoes to neighboring ports,” a shipping line agent at Cochin said.
Union leaders also said drivers had been demanding better amenities since the launch of VICTT in February this year, but terminal management refused to heed their repeated requests.
The terminal authority denied the allegations. “We are ready to consider all the demands raised by truckers, except the entry of cleaners into the terminal for security reasons," a DP World Cochin official said.
“Nearly 200 trucks are simply idling inside the terminal,” the shipping line agent said.
Reports said negotiations aimed at resolving the impasse, which is threatening to disrupt terminal operations, had not begun as of Tuesday afternoon.
The disruption is the latest in a string of work stoppages at Cochin after container activity was transferred to VICTT, touted as India’s first transshipment facility. The $600 million terminal is the first phase in DP World’s three-phase development at Vallarpadam -- offering an annual capacity of 1 million 20-foot equivalent units in the initial phase and 4 million TEUs when fully ready.
Cochin handled 312,000 TEUs in fiscal 2010-11, which ended March 31. Volume during April to May, the first two months of 2011-12, dropped to 47,000 TEUs from 54,000 TEUs a year earlier.