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Following
an unexpected rally of support
from seven unions serving staff
and workers in the merged entity
involving Klang Container Terminal
Bhd and Klang Port Management Sdn
Bhd now known as Northport
(Malaysia) Bhd, the path is now
clear for the country’s largest
port to proceed with a full
merger.
More
than 3,800 employees from KPM are
expected to be issued with option
papers by next month to join
Northport (Malaysia) Bhd based on
terms and condition of employment
no less than the 800-odd employees
of KCT (who also become employees
of Northport (Malaysia) Bhd.)
The
entry of all the workers of KCT
and KPM into Northport (Malaysia)
will complete the merger process
that began a year ago in a move
aimed at reducing competition and
well as complementing the
resources of the two port
operating companies in which
Permodalan Nasional Bhd has been
the largest shareholder.
Northport's
managing director and chief
executive officer Basheer Hassan
Abdul Kader said he foresees no
major problems with the completion
of the merger exercise although he
added a few more things like
getting Ministry of Finance and
Foreign Investment Committee
approval has still to be done.
Although
there was mixed reaction initially
to the merger proposal from the
unions, the discussion with the
management is said to have been
unexpectedly cordial, paving the
way for the integration.
Basheer
expects the full integrated and
strengthened outfit to roll out by
the end or early next year.
The
extent of the cordiality is also
reflected in the leadership of
3,000-strong Klang Port Management
Staff Union willing to give in to
the 800-strong Klang Container
Terminal Staff Union to take the
leadership of the workers in the
new company.
KPMSU
union head Ahmad Din said although
the Trade Union Act provides for
the larger union in a merging
exercise to take the lead, “we
are not keen to push for it in the
interest of the company”.
He
said in view of the need for
stability an understanding has
been reached between the two
unions for an interim arrangement
that would allow for KCTSU to take
the leadership.
“Probably
after a year the positions will be
contested,” he added.
The
geniality of the atmosphere
between the management and the
employees impressed Northport
Corporation Bhd chairman, Tan Sri
Datuk Ahmad Sarji who commended
the two unions for displaying
maturity and promptly announced an
unexpected ex-gratia of RM500 for
each employee at the signing of
the MOU between the two unions to
merge last week.
Ahmad
Sarji, who also witnessed the
signing of the collective
agreement between KCT and the KTSU
said harmonious relationship
between the management and its
employees was critical to the
success of the port which has been
recording significant growth.
Making
reference to the recent RM100
million investment on five super
post panamax cranes, Ahmad Sarji
said it was pointless to have the
state of the art equipment “if
the workers do not want to handle
it or it there was industrial
unrest,” he said.
In
the last eight months, Northport
handled 1.7 million TEUs (compared
with 1.4 million TEUS the same
period last year).
According
to Basheer, the port is now
handling an increasing volume of
transhipment, which in the last
eight months posted a record 42
per cent growth.
He
said the slow-down in trade
appears to have not affected the
transshipment trade which is
expected to be the source of
growth for the port.
The
port is targeted to handle 2.1
million TEUs this year.
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