The first ship which laid anchor at the Hambantota Magampura International Port since it was handed over to the China Merchant Port Holdings Company under a 99 year lease agreement recently, was the Positivi Pioneer which arrived from Panama carrying a consignment of 400 vehicles.
The off loading operation of the consignment is handled by the Colombo Logistics Company. Since there were no workers to handle the port operations, a batch of new recruits who had been given a training were deployed for port operations since December 18.
Meanwhile, the Sathyagraha launched by parents of the former port employees demanding the re-deployment of their children, continued for the 28th day on December 18.
As the ship approached the Hambantota Port, the former workers joined their striking parents and conducted an invocation to the gods, smashing coconuts at the entrance gate praying for some sort of relief for the injustice caused to them.
President of the Magampura Port Workers Union I.K. Omez said their request to the SLPA was to recruit the 438 workers who lost their jobs to the Port Authority and re-deploy them for Hambantota Port operations. He said that in spite of representations made to the President regarding their issue, they had not received any redress to their problem so far.
Protesting former harbour employees.
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