8,000 port workers threaten to strike

About 8,000 to 10,000 port workers threatened to paralyze operations at the North Harbor in Tondo tomorrow in protest of the government's plan to privatize it allegedly under a monopoly.

Members of the Coalition for Ports Modernization want President Estrada to scrap the plan.

From North Harbor, the protestors will proceed to Malacañang to dramatize their concerns to President Estrada.

In a letter to the President dated April 5, the port workers -who include stevedores, trucker porters and other port users - advocated competition in the privatization of the North Harbor.

"More than competitive bidding, we believe that there must be competition to assure the appropriate level of modernization that serves the public interest," the coalition said.

It pointed out that lack of competition would suppress the freedom of port users to choose which operators to use. It would also limit the participation of world-class operators in the port modernization process as well as the support of international financial institutions.

"Worse, lack of competition could give one group a stranglehold on the economy and domestic trade and put users under the mercy of a single contractor by bundling all port services," said Enrique Castillo, president of the Distribution Management Association of the Philippines.

The group also expressed fear of "sweetheart deals" and cronyism if the monopoly pushed through.

They said the contract was awarded to shipping magnate Enrique Razon of the International Container and Transport Services Incorporation (ICTSI) and Eusebio Yupangco of the Asian Terminal Inc. (ATI).

The coalition boasts of a membership of 8,000 to 10,000 members from the Association of Private Port Owners and Operators of the Philippines, Distribution Management Association of the Philippines, Federation of Free Farmers, Philippine Ship Agents Associations, and United Dockhandlers, Inc. Supervisory Union.