Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust to introduce special VRS from September 1

01 Sep 2021 CW Team

Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) is set to introduce a special voluntary retirement scheme (SVRS) for employees from September 1, ahead of the privatisation of its container terminal.

The SVRS for employees will be open for six months. Earlier, JNPT issued a global tender on August 23 for its container terminal privatisation.

Under the National monetisation pipeline (NMP), JNPT has three projects to be privatised, of which two are brownfield assets, including the JNPT Container Terminal.

The JNPT will not put a provision in the tender stipulating that the successful bidder must take over the employees as that would reduce the bidder's interest. The transaction will allow the private entity to hire their manpower, according to sources.

Water Transport Workers’ Federation of India (WTWFI), General Secretary, T Narendra Rao, said that this would take away the jobs of existing workers in major ports.

A port industry executive said to bring port operations efficiency during privatisation, a significant overhaul of equipment is required at the berth, which will have an impact on the existing workforce.

Also, the private sector has several models for conducting operations, the executive said.

There are more than 800 directly or indirectly working employees at the container terminal alone currently. Most of the employees are in the age group of 52-55 years.

As per the government source, they have the choice of leaving after taking the SVRS. Those who are not ready to take the SVRS could be accommodated in different areas or projects in Maharashtra.

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Also read: JNPT registers a y-o-y growth of over 21% in cargo handling in 2021

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