LOADING and unloading at Chittagong Port remains disrupted since April 20 because of workers’ strike at the beginning demanding wage hike and when their demand was met cargo vessels owners have stopped operating their vessels in protest against the government unilateral rise in wage which they oppose. The situation is not coming to an amicable end while export-import are facing setback and businesses are incurring huge losses.
The government’s decision to increase workers pay to at least Tk 9000 per month following work abstention by workers has made the situation volatile. Meanwhile, unloading and transporting of some 14 lakh tonnes of goods from over 60 mother vessels at the outer anchorage of the Port remain uncertain impacting industries from power generation to unloading of perishable goods. The Shipping Minister who is a powerful labour leader has not taken any visible action, either by accepting the workers demand or by taking disciplinary steps to return workers to work. We believe that nobody should be allowed to take hostage of the situation, the issue must be talked out while loading and unloading must continue unabated.
Following a meeting between workers, owners and Ministry representatives on April 26, the workers called off their strike as the Shipping Ministry proposed Tk 9,000 as minimum wage. But Bangladesh Cargo Vessel Owners Association rejected the award saying after the 2009 wage hike, the next rise was due in 2014. But in 2013, workers forced owners to give a 20 percent increase. Now they demand a 150 percent hike, which is illogical and impossible for the owners to pay. Leaving the issue unsolved, the government’s delay has resulted in losses of trade and business.
Meanwhile, over hundred mother vessels remained stranded in the outer anchorage as around 700 lighter vessels are not operating from the Port. For each day’s overstay, mother vessels have to pay $15,000 in demurrage. Around 7.8 lakh tonnes of goods including wheat, raw sugar, poultry feed, urea, gypsum, raw materials like cement clinker, limestone, iron rod and scraps are awaiting unloading. Such a deadlock would disrupt the entire supply chain. The trouble continues.
Power and cement productions have already been hit by the stalemate. State Minister for Power and Energy on Wednesday said the non-cooperation of water vessels owners is hampering countrywide supply of fuel oil, affecting electricity generation at oil-based power plants. According to Cement Manufacturers’ Association, production in at least 10 cement factories remains fully or partially suspended. A hurried consensus among the interest groups is a must where the government must work as an honest broker, there is no alternative to it.
