Indian Port Unions, Officials to Meet in Attempt to Avert Strike

(Bloomberg) —

Union representatives from India’s state-run ports are expected to meet government officials on Tuesday in a last-ditch attempt to stave off strikes planned for the following day.

The worker groups will be meeting with the India Ports Association, a state agency, in New Delhi to discuss their demands, according to Narendra Rao, a working committee member of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions. If union leaders find the terms suggested by the ports association unfavorable, they will call for industrial action the next day.

The strikes are expected to affect ports including those in Mumbai, Kolkata and Tuticorin in the south of the country, according to a notification seen by Bloomberg News. 

The unions have been in negotiations with the government since 2021 to try and increase the port worker’s pay, but have so far failed to come to an agreement. The planned strikes will affect container traffic as well as oil and gas tankers. 

India’s 12 largest ports handled 818 million tons of cargo in the year through March, a 4.4% increase over the prior year, according to the shipping ministry. 

© 2024 Bloomberg L.P.

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