Dockers on Monday demanded unrestricted job opportunities both at Port Qasim berths and the newly built dry cargo terminal, as their basic right. "CBA union continues struggling to get the Port Qasim Authority [PQA] give the 1757 dockers right of job at the newly built terminal for the last six months, but so far they could not succeed," said the President Port Qasim Harbour and Dock Workers Union (CBA), Noor Muhammad, at a press conference at Karachi Press Club.
He said that the PQA administration was powerless against the retired and serving military officers in the newly built 'Fauji Akbar Portia Marine Terminal Ltd', who, according to him, "are responsible" for the present crisis. Showing fears, he said the representatives and workers of the union were receiving various sorts of threats from some key elements, pressing for making the dockers withdraw their basic right of job at the terminal. "Dockers are sticking to their basic right of job at the terminal and are hopeful to achieve their legal right in the presence of a democratic government and independent judiciary," he added.
He said that dockers would not want to interrupt operations at the country's second largest seaport for any reasons. However, they would leave no stone unturned to get their demand of jobs accepted. He said that dockers continued to press their demands with a peaceful struggle sticking to the law of the state and "therefore we have sent our demands to the concerned quarters" to get them approved.
If the PQA administration and the government continued with delaying tactics and did not stop dockers' harassment then the workers would be compelled to resort to taking an extreme step for their rights' protections, the dockers' leader warned.
He said the CBA was in contact with other labour organisations and rights groups, besides worker-friendly political parties to galvanise maximum support against the anti-dockers elements at PQA. He blamed the PQA officials for depriving the workers of jobs at the harbour by giving cargo handling contracts to their favourite people, and demanded transparency in the contracts in line with the dock laws.
On the occasion, general secretary of Port Qasim Harbour and Dock Workers Union (CBA) Behr Mand Khan, President and General Secretary of Khan Brother Cargo Handling and Dock Workers Union, Gulzeb and Tawab Shah, President and General Secretary of Ports Qasim Cargo Handling and Dock Mehnat Kash Labour Union, Naeem Khan and Ameer Riaz were also present. A large number of dockers also staged a stationary protest demonstration for their rights outside Karachi Press Club and chanted slogans against the PQA administration.