CHENNAI PORT TRUST: Trailer drivers end strike

By G Saravanan

Published in The New Indian Express, Chennai on August 24, 2011:

Source:http://expressbuzz.com/cities/chennai/trailer-drivers-end-strike/307076.html
CHENNAI: The Trailer Drivers and Cleaners Association called off their five-day old strike and began moving the containers  in and out of the port on Tuesday evening. This comes after the Chennai Port Trust management agreed to open Gate No.2A (Royapuram) to clear import containers and take action on its employee who clashed with a trailer driver on Friday, leading to the strike.

According to Chennai Port sources, the Royapuram gate would be opened on Sunday midnight (11 pm to 4 am) and would help container terminals clear their backlog. “With the help of the State government and its police department, we have resolved the important issue which affected the cargo movement into port,” Atulya Misra, chairman of the Chennai Port Trust told Express.

An hour-long meeting was held at the Port headquarters with the Trailer Owners Association where the Port management agreed to open the gate for outward trailer traffic and  assured action on its employee, who was involved in the clash.

“Since the port management agreed to our demands, we have called off the strike”, Asai Thambi, association  president, told Express.