Barisal Correspondent :
Country- wide water transport workers strike started from early Tuesday to press home their 15-point demands on Barisal-Dhaka-Barisal route has been causing immense sufferings to the launch passengers. .
On Tuesday late night MV Farhan-8, MV Sundarban-10, MV Parabat-11, MV Suravi-9 and MV Kirtankhola-2 left Barisal Port for Dhaka after law enforcing agencies ensured safety and security of the vessels, said Mustafizur Rahman, Barisal River Port officer.
On Wednesday morning, MV Parabat-12, MV Tipu-7 and MV Suravi-7 arrived Barisal from Dhaka and will left Barisal port for Dhaka at night, the port officer told.
Local offices of the company also acknowledging the facts said although most of cabin passengers boarded on launch duly, but number of deck passengers were not satisfactory due to closure of local connecting routes.
Other types of river vessels including local passenger launches, goods laden cargos, oil tankers suspending their operations either staying in Barisal Port or remain anchored on Kirtankhola River surrounding the river port. Mass people, especially in the river isolated areas of southern region, traders and businessmen, daily passengers, patients facing sufferings due to water transport strike.
If any river transport wants to anchor or leave the port with passengers, law enforcing agencies will assure safety and security for that, said Abdul Motaleb, additional superintendent of police in charge of river-police.
Hundreds of porters, hawkers, makeshift shop owners depended on river port activities deprived from earning their livelihoods due to strike of river transports.
Ekin Ali, acting president of Barisal unit, and joint-convener of Noujan Sramik Federation (water transport workers association), claimed their strike going on successfully and plying of some passenger launches on Barisal-Dhaka route will not affect their movement.
Our 15 point demands included separate pay scale for the water transport workers, rescheduling salary structure with minimum monthly salary of Tk. 10 thousand, implementation of the gazette notification, ending of harassment of the workers by marine court, maintaining navigability and marking of river routes, curbing extortion, toll collection, dacoity, piracy on waterways etc, he added.
The launch owners after negotiations assured to fulfill our minimum demands on first week of July. But after that taking stay order from higher court on July 16, 2016, the owners ignored that negotiations, alleged the workers association leader.
Saidur Rahman Rintu, central vice-president of launch owners association and owner of Sundarban launch fleet, said most of workers of the launches plying on Barisal-Dhaka route enjoying higher scale than demanded by the workers federation.
We went to court after realised that imposed negotiations were beyond the capacities to fulfill by owners of water transport plying on local and regional routes, Rintu added.
Country- wide water transport workers strike started from early Tuesday to press home their 15-point demands on Barisal-Dhaka-Barisal route has been causing immense sufferings to the launch passengers. .
On Tuesday late night MV Farhan-8, MV Sundarban-10, MV Parabat-11, MV Suravi-9 and MV Kirtankhola-2 left Barisal Port for Dhaka after law enforcing agencies ensured safety and security of the vessels, said Mustafizur Rahman, Barisal River Port officer.
On Wednesday morning, MV Parabat-12, MV Tipu-7 and MV Suravi-7 arrived Barisal from Dhaka and will left Barisal port for Dhaka at night, the port officer told.
Local offices of the company also acknowledging the facts said although most of cabin passengers boarded on launch duly, but number of deck passengers were not satisfactory due to closure of local connecting routes.
Other types of river vessels including local passenger launches, goods laden cargos, oil tankers suspending their operations either staying in Barisal Port or remain anchored on Kirtankhola River surrounding the river port. Mass people, especially in the river isolated areas of southern region, traders and businessmen, daily passengers, patients facing sufferings due to water transport strike.
If any river transport wants to anchor or leave the port with passengers, law enforcing agencies will assure safety and security for that, said Abdul Motaleb, additional superintendent of police in charge of river-police.
Hundreds of porters, hawkers, makeshift shop owners depended on river port activities deprived from earning their livelihoods due to strike of river transports.
Ekin Ali, acting president of Barisal unit, and joint-convener of Noujan Sramik Federation (water transport workers association), claimed their strike going on successfully and plying of some passenger launches on Barisal-Dhaka route will not affect their movement.
Our 15 point demands included separate pay scale for the water transport workers, rescheduling salary structure with minimum monthly salary of Tk. 10 thousand, implementation of the gazette notification, ending of harassment of the workers by marine court, maintaining navigability and marking of river routes, curbing extortion, toll collection, dacoity, piracy on waterways etc, he added.
The launch owners after negotiations assured to fulfill our minimum demands on first week of July. But after that taking stay order from higher court on July 16, 2016, the owners ignored that negotiations, alleged the workers association leader.
Saidur Rahman Rintu, central vice-president of launch owners association and owner of Sundarban launch fleet, said most of workers of the launches plying on Barisal-Dhaka route enjoying higher scale than demanded by the workers federation.
We went to court after realised that imposed negotiations were beyond the capacities to fulfill by owners of water transport plying on local and regional routes, Rintu added.
