The central government and the port unions are not talking to each other. If they don’t start soon, port operations could be badly hit. Five recognised federations of stevedores have threatened to strike work in 11 government-owned ports starting 1 September. They want the retirement age to be raised from 58 years to 60 years, and 50 per cent of the dearness allowance to be merged with the salary.

S.R. Kulkarni, president of the All-India Port and Dock Workers Federation, says that while an increase in the retirement age for central government employees is being considered, port and dock workers have been ignored.

In 2001, the retirement age for stevedores was rolled back to 58 years by the Union Ministry of Surface Transport. This policy, combined with a ban on recruitment, has reduced manpower by 22 per cent — from 85,731 in 2000-01 to 66,655 in 2005-06. Port traffic, on the other hand, has nearly doubled to 464 million tonnes in the same period, substantially improving productivity.

On the basis of the last port strike in 2000, it is estimated that losses from delays could be in the region of Rs 100 crore a day. This does not include the extra cost borne by shipping companies due to delays.