A tense situation prevailed at the Hambantota International Sea Port yesterday as the strike launched by a group of employees at the port continued. The employees also staged a satyagraha campaign on Thursday afternoon.Ports and Shipping Deputy Minister Nishantha Mutuhettigama told the Daily News yesterday night that the strike was continuing unabated.
However, he denied rumours that the protesters had seized or obstructed a ship which had arrived at the port. Ports Minister Arjuna Ranatunga who arrived at the port yesterday, said the workers were provided jobs at the sea port by the previous regime under the Magampura Varaya project and not through the Sri Lanka Port Authority and as such he was unable to bring the employees under the purview of the Port Authority or to affiliate them with the Port Authority. He said he will not allow any one to lose his job even if a foreign company takes over the Hambantota Sea Port.
The minister said if any one loses his job at the sea port he will resign from the post of minister.
Ranatunga said the Hambantota sea port was set up without a feasibility report at a colossal sum by a Chinese firm.
The minister said if he was the ports minister then, he would have setup this sea port spending half the amount of money spent by the previous regime.
He said if protests of this nature continue, it will create an impact on trade and shipping in foreign countries.