Prime Freight’s summary of a December 2021 report by The Loadstar. Read the original for the full story.
In December 2021 dockworker unions at India’s major government-owned ports voted for an open-ended nationwide strike from 15 December onwards, in protest at the new Major Port Authorities Act.
The Loadstar reported that the unions wanted to be consulted on the rules under the law, which replaced legislation from 1963 and aimed to turn the public ports into more autonomous, company-like bodies able to compete with privately run ports. Unions feared job losses and privatisation, objected to further concessions for private terminal operators, and also wanted wage talks.
The public ports were already losing ground to private cargo handlers led by Adani. India had 12 major government ports; Kamarajar, formerly Ennore, had already been corporatised, and Jawaharlal Nehru Port at Nhava Sheva, which handles a large share of India’s containers, was partway through a 2.4 million TEU expansion with PSA International. The threat came while shippers were already struggling to find vessel space.
What it meant for shippers
A strike at India’s public ports would slow vessel handling, gate moves and clearance at gateways such as Nhava Sheva just as space was tight. Following union notices and allowing for extra dwell time were the sensible precautions.