MPs BLAME MANGALA FOR PORT CRISIS

While the port workers' ‘work to rule' protest is continuing for the eighth successive

day, in spite of court enjoining order against the port workers' trade unions, causing losses of hundreds of millions of rupees to national economy each day, Minister of Ports and Shipping Mangala Samaraweera has come under attack from parliamentarians from the opposition parties as well as the ruling party allies.

Former Ports and Shipping Minister and leader of the SLMC Rauff Hakeem MP said in parliament yesterday , July 20, that the demands of the port workers were justifiable in that they were asking for salary increments in keeping with salary increments given to the government employees. They also have demanded that the anomalies on their salary scales should be rectified. The strike which continues for over one week due to the wrong handling of the issue by the present Minister of Ports and Shipping has gravely affected national revenue, he said.

Hakeem said that 19 ships could not berth in the Colombo port due to the current crisis and warned that shipping lines would bypass Colombo port and opt for Singapore or Dubai if the crisis continued. He said this would cause a grave crisis because the Colombo port facilitated 72 percent of transshipment cargo. He also said that the government should take steps to avoid a possible congestion surcharge being imposed on containers at $ 40 per 200 foot container and $ 80 per 40 foot container.

Government ally JVP's parliamentarian Sunil Handunetti and UNP parliamentarian Dr.Rajitha Senaratne accused Minister Samaraweera of resorting to a blame game with port workers instead of trying to resolve the Colombo port crisis which has cost hundreds of millions of rupees daily.