Water transport workers to start indefinite strike at midnight 

Bangladesh

TBS Report
19 October, 2020, 10:50 pm
Last modified: 20 October, 2020, 01:12 am
The Chattogram port authorities could not make the lighterage jetties at Sadarghat in the port city operational even in the last seven years. The jetties were constructed to unload imported goods from mother vessels in bulk carriers (open goods) at Outer Anchorage. Photo: Mohammad Minhaj Uddin

Water transport workers are all set to go on an indefinite strike from Monday midnight to press home their 11-point demand. 

The demands include food allowance, health care equipment, appointment letters for the workers, and effective measures to stop extortion on the waterways. 

The strike, jointly called by Bangladesh Water Transport Workers' Federation and Bangladesh Lighterage Workers Union, will start at 12:01am, said Khorshed Alam, joint secretary of the federation. 

In the meantime, members of Chattogram Lighterage Workers' Union have already started their work abstention programme since 6pm.

Md Isha Mia, president of Bangladesh Lighterage Workers Union, told The Business Standard, "Members of our organisation have started work abstention programme since 6pm. They halted operation of lighterage vessels."

Around 2,500 lighterage vessels regularly ply on the domestic water routes after taking goods from different mother vessels docked at the Chattogram port. 

In addition, some 15,000 lighterage vessels operate on different routes across the country, he disclosed.
 

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