COLOMBO –Sri Lanka’s Port Authority is facing stiff opposition from trade unions to its moves to increase female workers, especially as gantry operators, Minister of Shipping and Aviation Nimal Siripala de Silva told a forum on Thursday (Feb 1)
The International Labour Organization (ILO) had suggested that Sri Lanka improve gender equity at the port.
Noting he was a great fan of gender equity, Minister de Silva told a forum on a US-funded capacity building project under the Colombo Plan, he had suggested, ‘Why don’t you train some lady gantry operators?”
Operating gantries is the key to the operational efficiency of a container port and it is a premium salary job.
Minister de Silva said the ILO gave funds and the Seafarers Association came forward to help.
About 50 females were selected from around the country and trained. After theory classes were completed at the Mahapola Training Centre, practical training was the next step.
The students were given letters of appointment as trainees for six months at the port.
“The unions went on trade union action at the port,” Minister de Silva said. “They said, ‘You can’t do that’, you have to give permanency to all other people before getting new trainees to the port.”
There were serious challenges to making any changes, he said.
The Port faced similar opposition when the first private terminals were built, he pointed out.
-economynext.com
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