Calcutta, May 4: The Calcutta Port Trust management has asked its workforce to come out of the "monopoly mindset" in the face of stiff competition from private ports, ticking off Trinamul unions that were already flexing their muscles over the induction of casual workers.

"Our biggest challenge is to come out of the monopoly mindset. Trade will move to competitors if they get better deals. We have to serve them (the trade) better, behave properly and make them feel comfortable at every step," said M.T. Krishna Babu, CPT acting chairman.

The appeal comes at a time the CPT has posted an effective loss of Rs 210 crore (in 2016-17) because it had to foot burgeoning pension and dredging bills in spite of making a "surplus" of Rs 631 crore - an indicator of operational efficiency.

Babu warned that the port could not meet future financial obligations unless productivity improved and inefficiency was weeded out. He cautioned that the fate of 27,000 pensioners was at stake.

Babu, appointed by the Union shipping ministry, did not blame the unions directly. But the comments came against the backdrop of an agitation by Trinamul-led unions INTTUC and NUWW(I), which are demonstrating before the CPT headquarters at Dalhousie.

The unions want vacancies filled with permanent employees and, if casual employees have to be taken, priority given to families of deceased staff. Trinamul MP Dola Sen had yesterday come to express solidarity with the workers.

Asim Sutradhar, the general secretary of the unions, said the port's operations were not being affected by the demonstration. "The chairman holds additional charge and he comes once or twice a month. Hence, he is not aware of the ground reality. There is no go-slow and no man-day has been lost," he said. "Instead of inducting ex-servicemen, the port should give priority to family members of deceased employees."

Sutradhar alleged that the Centre was trying to smother the Calcutta and Haldia ports. Disagreements between the Centre and the Bengal government over the candidates had twice hindered the appointment of a permanent chairman, sources said.

Although the port is run by the Centre, the CPT chairman has usually been selected from the Bengal cadre of the IAS.

The CPT handled 50.314 million tonnes of cargo in 2016-17, barely 0.05 per cent higher than the year before.

The Dhamra port of Adani in Odisha and a port proposed by the Tatas close to the Bengal-Odisha border are seen as potential threats to the CPT unless it can show operational efficiency.

"We need to slash port-related charges to attract customers. But our hands are tied because of the pension bill and the dredging cost. The only area to improve is user experience," a port official said.

CPT plans to introduce more automation going forward as a strategy to compete with private ports that are providing integrated solutions to large customers who don't have to run around desks to get the job done.

In CPT, departments work in silos, not engaging together to solve issues that the trade may have, officials said.

"In some ports, private as well government, we have appointed nodal officers for major users. We want to do the same in Calcutta. Moreover, we want to reduce human interface and manual interventions as much as possible to reduce the discretionary power of the workforce. The employee has to understand that he must serve customers well for their own future," explained Babu, who is now full time chairman of Vishakhapatnam port.