November 23, 2011

Port Sudan harbour jobs - going, going...




Al Jezeera reports that 30,000 jobs are expected to be lost for labourers in Port Sudan. A recently made decision to mechanize the unloading of ships will greatly reduce the need for workers.

The Red Sea State government is interested in helping the workers find alternate employment or create businesses, in order to reduce the negative impact of unemployment on so many people. Government officials from the Ministry of Human Resource Development and the International Labour Organization and the country representative of the United Nations Development Programme and the Microfinance Bank of Sudan and others were meeting to address the real problem.

Officials will explore ideas such as training and education support, and alternate jobs within the Maritime Port Authority.

Hussein Mohamed Khalifa, deputy head of the union longshoremen, said that there is a disregard of the dilemma faced by thousands of workers. He expressed his fear that this may lead to negative reactions.

Workers fear unemployment and the inability to keep up with the cost of living. Grinding poverty may come to some of them.

Story at Al Jezeera [Arabic]  [English]

Previous $79 millionUS expansion of Port Sudan Harbour. June 2006.

Port Sudan harbour website

Description of Sudanese ports

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