Don't allow upazila-based transport workers union: Workers' body

Bangladesh Auto-Rickshaw Light Vehicle Transport Workers Federation (BALTWF) has demanded the cancellation of a gazette notification, issued by the Ministry of Labour and Employment on February 8, 2023, allowing the upazila-based workers unions instead of existing district-based union.

The federation made the demand from a joint representatives meeting of its district units at Bangladesh Shishu Kalyan Parishad in the city.

The BALTWF said the new gazette notification was issued with an ill motive to curtail the trade union rights of the transport workers.

"The provisions of the new gazette notification will squeeze the rights of the workers and spread the inner conflicts", said Md Golam Faruk, founder general secretary of the BALTWF at the meeting.

With BALTWF vice-president Haji Bahauddin Noble in the chair, the meeting was also addressed, among others by, organisation's president Abul Hossain, Anwar Hossain of Chittagong Division, Md. Soleman and Md. Nashir Uddin of Chittagong South, Zahirul, Rajbari, Liton, Sirajganj, Reagan of Netrokona, Abdul Karim Talukder, Shah Newaz of Chittagong North, Rafiqul Islam and Nawab Ali Nawab of Dhaka Metropolitan and Shaheen Rangpur, Abdur Rahman of Kishoreganj.

The speakers strongly condemned and protested against the bill placed by the government recently in parliament in the name of essential services to suppress the workers' movement in an unjust and undemocratic way.