Maritime Pilots in Cochin Port Trust, disappointed by the union ministry of shipping’s indifferent attitude to their demand for pay parity with other officers are on a work to rule agitation mode.
This has affected the operations in Cochin Port at a critical time when India aspires to become a five trillion dollar economy within the next couple of years. Shipping operations have come to a standstill following the “work to rule” policy being followed by the maritime pilots under the auspices of Master Mariners Association.
Cochin Port accounts for 4.44 per cent of India’s total import and export of 818 million tons which makes it crucial for business operations. Good manufactured in Kerala, Tamil Nadu an Karnataka and meant for US, Europe and Africa are routed through this port.
The Pilots are agitated because the Union Government has not responded to their woes. “Though we have been highlighting the disparities faced by us with the ministry since 2010 the latter has been coldshouldering our demands for pay parity with officers who were much junior to us. Moreover, marine pilots have to be more qualified and experienced than the other categories of officers,” said a representative of MMA.
Maritime pilots are former mariners with experience in Foreign Going Vessels and have passed advanced examinations held by the union shipping ministry. All mariners will not be able to graduate to the level of maritime pilots. Only the creme Dela crème among then are graduated as pilots. Their main responsibility is to navigate the ships from outer seas through the narrow channels to the berth and back to the outer seas. Once the ships reach the outer seas, the pilots take command.
“One has to know the shipping channels like the back of one’s hands to ensure the safety of the ships. This is an operation that has to be performed with care, concentration and calm,” a senior pilot told The Pioneer. He said the agitation is to protect the dignity of the profession. “As masters of the ships we used to draw salaries running into lakhs of rupees per month. The high salaries itself is in recognition of our professional qualification and competence,” he said
“Though the Cochin Port Trust needs 14 pilots for round-the-clock operations, there are only seven pilots as on date working in the port. Any disruption in shipping operations in Cochin Port Trust is sure to dampen the State’s economy.” said Rajmohan Pillai, chairman, Beta Group, a Malta based company which is a major client of Cochin Port.
A senior bureaucrat in Kerala Government said that recent events like the closure of the much talked about Smart City in Kochi and entrepreneurs leaving the State en masse to neighboring States has already tarnished the image of Kerala. “Cochin Port is infamous for “work to rule” and labor agitations. The pilots’ agitation is like adding fuel to fire,” said the bureaucrat. He said the maritime pilots are getting a raw deal from the union government.
“The babus in the ministry should learn the significance of the work being done by the pilots. Then only they will understand the seriousness of the issue,” he said.
An office bearer of the Cochin Steamer Agents Association said that the work-to-rule agitation is a setback for the port as shipping operations are a continuous process. “We cannot ask the vessel managers to wait because the pilots are on strike. They will set sail to the nearest available port because for them time is more precious than money,” said the CSAA office bearer.
