Staff Reporter :
Thousands of passengers were made to suffer as river vessel workers went on an indefinite strike across the country early Tuesday to press home their 11-points demand, including wage increase.
Bangladesh Water Transport Workers’ Federation, which represents eight or ganisations, enforced the strike at 12:01am, said M Nabi Alam, Vice-President of Chattogram chapter of Water Transport Workers’ Rights Protection Oikya Parishad.
He said the strike call was given from a human chain formed in the capital by Bangladesh Water Transport Workers’ Federation on October 13.
River vessel workers and owners met together on Monday afternoon at the intervention of Chairman of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) Commodore Golam Sadeqs but there was no consensus.
Earlier, the vessel workers too went on strike over the same demands. Notwith- standing assurance from the government and vessel owners to meet their demands, they postponed their strike.
The workers’ other demands include steps for stopping of extortion and robbery in river routes, disbursement of wages as per the gazette announced in 2016, giving of landing pass and food to India-bound workers by owners, paying of Tk 10 lakh as compensation for the death of any worker in accident, putting an end to all kinds of irregularities and harassment of workers, and ensuring workers’ social safety.
Meanwhile, water transport workers are also observing an indefinite strike in Barishal like the entire country demanding realisation of 11-points.
As a result, all types of vessels, including passengers and cargos, remained suspended from the Barishal river port.
Ekin Ali Master, Joint secretary of Barishal branch of Bangladesh River Vessel Workers Federation, said they enforced the indefinite strike from 12:01am on Tuesday, suspending sailing of all types of vessels.
