Business Recorder, April 19, 2016

Ismail Dilawar

KARACHI: Monday marked the 15th day of a protest demonstration hundreds of dock workers are carrying out at Port Qasim against the privatisation of two berths at the port’s Marginal Wharf.

While authorities at the ministry and port concerned appear to be completely indifferent to the potentially serious law and order situation, the “so-far-peaceful” agitation, the dockers warn, may anytime lead to (forced) closure of the country’s second largest seaport.

PQA Chairman Agha Jan Akhtar doubts accuracy of the “exaggerated” figure, as labor leader Hussain Badshah claims to have been leading about 1,757 dockers protesting, since April 3, the privatization and ultimate conversion of berths number 3 and 4 into a coal terminal.

“This is the matter of life and death for us as our families, about 15000 souls, depend on these berths for their sustenance,” Badshah, general secretary of Collective Bargaining Agent of Workers Union of Port Qasim, told Business Recorder.

From April 3 to 10, he said, the labourers had protested at Karachi Press Club and had then been staging a sit-in at National Highway near Port Qasim. “Hunger strike is the next step which we, the leaders of a seven-union coalition, would decide upon soon,” the worker said.

Claiming to have the backing of politicians from PML-N and PPP, the labourer said while 9.5 meter draught at berths number 1 and 2 had practically rendered the two facilities worthless in terms of ship handling, the remaining 3 and 4 were being rented out by the PQA.

“Even at 3 and 4 ships of 45,000MT can be handled. They may like to dredge the berths or privatize 1 and 2,” he suggested. Badshah claimed that Dock Worker Registration of Employment Act 1974 provided the employment of dock workers at the country’s seaports. “Be it at Karachi or Port Qasim”.

“All the 1757 labourers have PQA-issued identity cards that we call Worthy Cards,” he said.

What seems alarming is the fact that PQA chief Agha Jan Akhtar tends to treat the issue with an “iron hand” and uses words like “Bhatta” (extortion) while referring to Karachi Dock Labour Board at Karachi Port. “I have been handling things here with an iron hand for last four years,” he told Business Recorder.

“At PQA we don’t have any KDLB or any law legalizing it. We are a landlord port having no labour,” the chairman maintained.

The retired civil serviceman, recently been contracted to stay on PQA’s helm for two more years, thinks more in financial than humanitarian terms while dealing with the matter, which certainly would lead to joblessness in the poverty-stricken country.

“The privatization of berths number 5, 6 and 7 to QICT fetches us Rs1.5 billion only on account of royalty. Other heads added, it is going to stand at Rs 5 billion this year,” Agha said.

Similarly, he said, PQA’s annual average income during last five years from the two controversial berths ranged between Rs 90 and Rs 110 million.

“Since port’s inception in 1970s these seven berths are there. The said four berths are so old that these would collapse if we dredged them,” he explained.

However, when rented out to, what Agha said, a power generation firm, the two berths are estimated to generate for PQA $9.6 million or Rs 1 billion yearly.

“Like $ 2.29 per ton at PIBT (Pakistan International Bulk Terminal), they would pay us $ 2.40,” he said adding the proposed coal terminal, apart from PIBT, would cater to at least four million metric tons of imported coal for at least 3620 megawatts coal-fired power generation plants: 1320MW of Sahiwal, 1200MW of Jamshoro, 660MW of Lucky Cement, 110MW of Fauji Foundation and 330MW of Siddique Sons.

“Now tell me, what is better for us, the 1700 workers generating Rs 110 million only or at least Rs 1 billion these two berths would fetch us post privatization,” the chairman asked.

Tuesday is likely to see some breakthrough in the weeklong standoff between dockers and port authorities as Badshah said he was scheduled to meet the tough-talking PQA chief.

http://epaper.brecorder.com/2016/04/19/21-page/752451-news.html