Under Prime Minister’s Assistance Package for employees, service of more than 750 contractual staffers of Karachi Port Trust (KPT) has been regularised.
Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs, Syed Faisal Sabzwari, on Tuesday, distributed letters to regularised KPT employees in a ceremony here that was attended by Chairman KP
T Syed Syedain Raza Zaidi, trustees and leaders of CBA union and a large number of workers.
Syed Faisal Sabzwari addressing the occasion felicitated the employees and said that longstanding issues of KPT employees were resolved by the administration and years-old issues of employees including regularisation of services, adjustment of increments, issuance of bonus
and other demands of employees presented in charter of demand has been fulfilled. The minister also announced a Rs 20000 Eid bonus for daily wage staffers of KPT at the occasion.
Now it was the responsibility o
f the employees as well officers o
f the trust to work with a renewed zeal and dedication for the growth of KPT, he urged adding that the government was endeavouring to make KPT not only a profit-making organisation but also an efficient entity and employees o
f the trust could play a pivotal role in the achievement o
f the objectives.
The minister highlighting the ministry’s efforts for modernising the port infrastructure and attracting foreign investment said that a concession agr
eement has been inked with Abu Dhabi Port Group for the establishment of Karachi Gateway Terminal Limited. Pakistan would receive $50 million as an upfront payment with 12.5% additional royalty as per the agr
eement which also included provisions for the development of state-of-the-art terminals, setting up a special economic zone and railway connectivity of KPT and Port Qasim, he informed.
The term o
f the current 21-year agr
eement of Pakistan International Container Terminal (PICT) was about to end and the expiry o
f the agr
eement would have left 4 births o
f the port inoperative and risking jobs of hundreds of workers, he said adding that the government have made timely arrangements those not only secured the jobs of employees but also ensured much needed foreign investment.
Later responding to media queries, the minister said that KPT does not sell any birth but enters into a concession agr
eement with private sector entities for operations of births a
nd receives charges and royalties under the agr
eement.
It was a government-to-government agr
eement that was reviewed and authenticated by framework development and negotiation committees and later by the federal cabinet after fulfilment of all the necessary procedures and regulations in a transparent manner, he clarified.
Faisal Sabzwari said that the government was working with a comprehensive approach consisting of measures for revenue generation, infrastructure improvement, employee welfare
and other initiatives for the development and improvement of ports. He said that dredging has been carried out after many years at Gawadar Port that is an ideal port for trans-shipment.