Calls for development of Port Sudan workers associations

Civil society leaders in Red Sea state have condemned the decision of the Red Sea state government to establish new cargo companies.

Civil society leader Abdallah Mousa unreservedly described the decision to Radio Dabanga as “bad. Thousands of workers will lose their jobs, so hundreds of families will be forced to live far below the poverty line.”

He downplayed the justification of the Red Sea state governor, Ali Hamid, that the goal of setting up new companies is to maintain the workers’ rights to after-service benefits. “The new companies will open the way for competition in this field which adversely affects the workers at the ports at all levels.”

He proposed the extension of the workers associations. “They should provide more services and collectively represent its members in case of a conflict with the authorities.

“They further should arrange social and health insurances and post-service benefits for the workers. The membership fees of the workers generate enough to cover all these services,” he said.

Mousa considered recent reports by local media close to the government about the accumulation of containers in Port Sudan, “a means to prepare the people on the privatisation of the seaports and the ensuing mass unemployment among the port workers”.

On Wednesday, Radio Dabanga reported that about 150 ‘temporary’ port workers in Port Sudan have been denied access to permanent work contracts, in spite of having worked at the port for many years.