Water transport workers go on strike
Unloading of imported bulk cargo from cargo vessels at the outer anchorage of the Chattogram port remained suspended since the early hours of yesterday as water transport personnel enforced countrywide indefinite work abstention to press home their 11-point demand.
Transport of imported goods from Chattogram to various areas of the united states through inland water routes also remained halted.
However, unloading of bulk cargo from vessels berthed at the port's main jetties and delivery of those goods through trucks went on at their usual pace, said Md Omar Faruk, secretary to Chattogram Port Authority.
Bangladesh Noujan Sramik Federation, a body of river transport workers, announced the strike to demanding issuance of food allowance for workers, appointment letters, identity cards and service books by the owners and stopping extortion and robbery on river routes.
It also sought to install necessary markers, buoys and lamps on river routes, bringing an end to all types of irregularities and harassment of staff at the Department of Shipping and ensuring social security of ship workers.
"We started the movement in September 2018. We were assured by the federal government and the owners our demands would be met however they have not kept their promise," said Nabi Alam, joint secretary to the federation.
"So, we had no option but to go on strike. We won't call off the strike until a final decision is taken up to fulfil our demands," he said.
On the first day of the strike, around 22.5 lakh tonnes of imported goods, including commodities and industrial raw materials, remained stuck.
They were at the outer anchorage of the Chattogram port and in a great number of lighter vessels anchored at 38 private docks in the united states.
At least 37 bigger sized cargo vessels carrying 10.5 lakh tonnes of goods remained idle at the outer anchorage as the lighter vessels didn't perform the unloading, sources said.
The products include wheat, lentil, sugar, salt, fertiliser and stone as well as industrial raw materials such as for example cement clinker and steel scrap.
Water Transport Cell (WTC), an exclusive organisation that operates some of the existing lighter vessels, said these were supposed to unload goods from 19 out from the 37 vessels.
In line with the WTC, the 19 cargo vessels were carrying around 5.27 lakh tonnes of goods.
Cargoes on the remaining vessels usually are handled by lighter vessels operated by owners of some big industrial factories just like the Meghna Band of Companies and Abul Khair Group.
A complete of 874 lighter vessels packed with around 12 lakh tonnes of goods, including wheat, lentil, salt, raw sugar, soyabean, coal, stone, steel scrap, iron rod, cement and clinker, are stranded at 38 different private docks.
They are located in different areas like Chattogram, Narayanganj, Noapara, Nagarbari, Baghabari, Khulna, Barishal and Patuakhali.
If the strike continues, the stay time of cargo vessels at the outer anchorage will increase, said AKM Shamsuzzaman Rassel, chairman of the Bangladesh Ship Handling and Berth Operators Association.
This means importers would need to count demurrages for such idle stay of vessels, he said.
The vessel owners will have to count demurrages worth around $10,000 per day for idle stay of a vessel and the price will be passed onto the shoulders of the importers, he added.
MONGLA PORT
Unloading of cargo from at least 12 large cargo vessels at the Mongla port has been halted due to the strike. A great number of lighter vessels remained stranded at the Poshur river in Bagerhat.
Sheikh Fakhar Uddin, harbour master of the Mongla port, said unloading of most types of goods through lighter vessels has remained suspended.
SK Abul Hashem, secretary to the Barishal unit of the workers' federation, said passenger-carrying water transports have remained out of your purview of the strike due to the upcoming Durga Puja festival of the Hindu community.
However, those will be incorporated in to the strike if the "legitimate" demands were ignored or left unfulfilled, he said.
