Tawau porters oppose new Standard Operating Procedure

TAWAU: The Pengangkutan Bagasi Nusantara porters staged a strike to protest the new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) that requires ferry passengers' baggage or cargo weighing more than 40kg to be transported in a cargo boat known as Mitra.

Pengangkutan Bagai Nusantara is a company rendering porter service to those traveling to and from Nunukan and Tarakan, Indonesia.

The company's manager Jamaluddin Kasim yesterday said the move would affect the livelihood of the 160 local porters as the travelers would avoid bringing big baggage in future.

"We charge passengers RM20 per trolley and the weight could be around 100 kilograms per trolley. With the new procedure, the passengers would have to pay an additional RM60 for the excess 6Okg.

"Since Wednesday when the new procedure was imposed without any notice, passengers with more than 40kg of baggage and goods called off their trips and their goods are still here at the Custom, Immigration and Quarantine area," he said.

He said since Wednesday they went on strike and demanded that the new procedure be scrapped.

"We object to this new procedure using weighing scale that is burdening the people because as porters there will be no more goods for us to carry anymore.

"Usually a porter can get an average of two trips a day. We propose it to be revoked. We are not satisfied because there was no notice to us," he said.

Meanwhile, Tawau Member of Parliament Datuk Chua Soon Bui said the porters were not happy with the new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) as they felt their livelihood will be threatened.

Chua who attended a meeting between the Malaysian Maritime Department and the porters said she requested for two weeks grace period for the ferry operators to submit a proposal for an alternative.

"The cargo boat operator Mitra had agreed to reduce the rate to RM0.80 per kilo of excess weight and its representative said it is not a monopoly and welcomes other cargo operators," she said yesterday.

"Jabatan Laut and customs said now the SOP is to allow 40kg per passenger, so we will make a visit to see the loading into the ferry and try to find a better solution for them. The procedure is only applicable to those travelling to Nunukan," she said.

The Borneo Post
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Page A8