Indian Port Workers' Unions Call for Strike Demanding Pay Revisions

Indian port workers are planning a strike starting on August 28, demanding immediate settlement of pay revisions and pension benefits. The strike may worsen congestion issues in Asian and European ports, affecting global trade. Despite seven meetings, wage negotiations remain unresolved. The government has not yet responded.

Indian port workers' unions have announced a strike set to commence on August 28, aimed at securing immediate pay revisions and pension benefits, as stated in a note signed by its members.

The strike is expected to exacerbate current congestion issues plaguing Asian and European ports, potentially causing more shipment delays and impacting global trade. While the country's shipping ministry formed a bipartite wage negotiation committee in March 2021, and workers submitted their demands six months later, ahead of the expiration of the previous agreement in December of that year, no resolution has been reached, according to the note.

Despite seven meetings, the committee has failed to meet the port workers' demands, leading the workers' group to call for a strike following a meeting in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu this month.

The workers' group has urged the government and port management to address essential demands such as pay scale revisions, payment of arrears, and protection of existing benefits to prevent the strike. However, India's federal shipping ministry has yet to respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Major Indian ports like Chennai, Cochin, and Mumbai have an annual cargo handling capacity of 1.62 billion metric tons, according to the shipping ministry. In the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024, India exported goods worth $437 billion and imported goods worth $677 billion.