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Colombo Port : A slow return to normalcy

15 Nov 2020

  • SLPA calls retired employees to resume operations 
  • Employees reporting to work at very low levels: TUs
By Maheesha Mudugamuwa Operations at the Colombo Port are slowly returning back to normal, the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) said yesterday (15), assuring a full recovery within the week with the additional staff called on for work. Speaking to The Morning, SLPA Chairman Maj. Gen. Daya Ratnayake said the SLPA had already called the retired employees, expecting to resume operations within the next week at a normal pace. “We hope that the operations will return back to normal by next week as 60% of the employees were in operation for the past two or three days,” he added.  “We had a serious issue due to the coronavirus situation. The Port is situated in the worst area of the country for the past two or three weeks and the majority of port workers live in the Gampaha District and in the Bloemendhal, Modara, and Mattakkuliya areas. These areas have now been severely affected by the ongoing pandemic. Around 30% of workers are from Gampaha and more than 600 quarters of the SLPA are situated in these areas,” he stressed. “We need a large number of employees to operate the JCT (Jaya Container Terminal). The Port’s activity revolved around the JCT and we had 30 Covid-19-positive cases plus 200 first contacts. They have been sent for quarantine. This is not a management issue. We have followed all required health guidelines,” the Chairman reiterated, adding that though there were people, it needed specially trained people to operate the gantry cranes. Meanwhile, speaking to The Morning, All Ceylon General Ports Employees’ Union (ACGPEU) Deputy General Secretary G. Niroshan stressed that the return of employees was still at a very low level as even though employees can come to work using their passes, they are not coming as there is no proper Covid-19 management programme at the Port’s premises. Employees did not want to put their lives at risk, he said, adding that most of the gantry crane operators, transfer crane operators, and other crane operators were residing in the Gampaha District and since they were not reporting to work, the unloading of shipments had been delayed.   

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