Water transport workers go on countrywide strike

Water transport workers went on a countrywide strike on Wednesday morning to press home an 11-point demand, including increment in salary allowance and pension.

No ferries have sailed from Barisal port since the morning of the strike.  

Bangladesh Noujan Sramik Federation’s (BNSF) Barisal president Hashem Ali said the strike will continue until their demands are met.

The other demands include forming a service book and providing Tk10 lakh as compensation to the families of workers who died due to waterway extortion and robbery.

Hashem Ali said in the face of a previous strike on April 15 the authorities had assured that their 15-point demand would be met within 45 days.

The federation has now imposed the strike as the demands were not met, he said.

Many of the ferries have been removed from the river port and left anchored at different locations of the river.

As a result, hundreds of passengers were forced to return from the port. Some passengers of the Bhola-Lakshmipur-Barguna-Mehendiganj-Hijla route were seen waiting at the port helplessly.

The workers called continuous countrywide strike since 2016 in order to press home their 11-point demand. However, the demands were not met later despite government’s assurance.