Staff Reporter :Business and other activities in the country’s river ports were almost collpased on Tuesday when vessel operators remained abstain from their works demanding lowest wages Tk 10, 000 along with other facilities.Thousands of passengers were also trapped at different launch terminals and boat stations due to communication disruption following the strike. Most of the passengers alleged that they were not informed about the strike earlier. The strike kicked-off under the banner of Water Transport Workers’ Movement Committee at 12:01am on Tuesday, said leaders of river vessel workers. As many as 17 waterways workers’ organisations have extended their support to the strike.Shipments of cargoes were delayed and people’s plans went haywire as no vessels left the ports. Not only that, the passenger vessels reportedly did not leave Sadarghat terminal as hundreds of passengers were waiting for launches. The problem was severe where rivers are the main access route, especially in the southern parts of the country.President of Bangladesh Water Transport Workers’ Federation Shah Alam said: “The vessel workers called an indefinite strike to get their four-point demand accepted. Their demand includes fixing minimum salary of workers at Tk10,000, giving compensation to them for any accidental harm, cracking down robbery on the river routes and increasing navigability of the rivers.””We demand a fixing of the minimum wage at Tk 10,000, re-fixing of compensation rate for workers killed in accidents, steps to prevent theft, dacoity, terrorism and extortion and preservation of the rivers’ navigability,” he said.On Sunday night, the decision of strike was taken from a meeting of the Federation at its office at Sadarghat.Earlier on April 21, the vessel workers went on strike over the same demands. Following assurance from the government to meet their demands, they postponed their strike.As their demands were not fulfilled in the last three months, they workers have decided to go on a strike again, claimed workers’ leaders. Apart from raising minimum basic wage to Tk 10,000 from the existing Tk 4,150, the demands also include giving them formal appointment, issuing identity cards and service book, and ensuring their social security.They decided not to run any river vessel on the waterways until their demands are met, said Chowdhury Ashiqul Alam, General Secretary of the Federation.Chittagong Bureau added: The loading and unloading of goods was halted yesterday at 16 jetties at Karnaphuli River outside the Chittagong Port due to strike.Sources in outer anchorage said the workers have refrained from their duties at the 16 jetties, including Sadarghat, Banglabazar, Anu Majhir Ghat and Majhir Ghat.The situation was deteriorated when the workers of cargo ships plying the inland water-ways across the country also called strike for an indefinite period in the port city demanding wage hike.With 15 points demand is including to fix minimum wage Tk15, 000, new salary structure, compensation for death workers and stopped robbery in water ways, the workers came up with the declaration of work abstention yesterday in a press briefing at port city.Bashir Ahmed, coordinator of Chittagong region of Nou-Sramik Sangram Parishad, “Our strike will be continued until our demand is met. From 2012 we are demanding to hike our salary. Our demands are yet to be realised though in different assurance was given to obey our demand.”The owners on April 2016 took 30 days to realised our demand, then with their assurance we have postponed our movement, however, three months have passed they are yet to realise our demands.”So now we have no other way but go on work abstention,” added Bashir Ahmed.Over 100,000 workers are working at cargo ships across the country at 25,000 lighter ships. The lighter ships used to carry goods from mother vessels from outer anchorage of Chittagong Port. With the work abstention of the lighter ships the activities of loading and unload at mother vessels will be disrupted.On the other hand the strike called by Trailer from yesterdayhas been postponed at evening with the assurance of City Mayor AJM Nasir Uddin. After holding a meeting with the mayor the trailer workers postponed their strike for a month.Around 7,000 prime movers did not work since 8am till 6pm on Monday.The strike was called to press home their seven-point charter of demands which include setting up the port terminal and reduce taxes imposed by the Chittagong City Corporation [CCC] and the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority [BRTA]. Other demands include putting an end to the practice of extortion in the name of monitoring loading and providing license to the operators.Meanwhile, Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan yesterday said the government would hold talks with river vessel workers.He also urged the workers to call off their strike calling it “unlawful” as they enforced the stoppage suddenly without serving any previous notice.”A large number of vessel workers defied the strike call as 28 launches from different parts of the country reached Dhaka this morning. Vessels are also running normally in different routes in Chittagong, Narsingdi, Bhairab, Mawa, Aricha, Bhola and Rangamati and they were partly operating in Patuakhali and Narayanganj, the Minister said.Shahjahan Khan said the issues related to their demands were under the purview of the Labour Ministry which, however, would look into the matter. “I talked to the State Minister for Labour regarding this issue. We will hold talks with the vessel workers tomorrow,” he said.
