NEWS report on Wednesday said that all kinds of water transport workers are enforcing an indefinite strike across the country shutting the operation of passenger launches in river routes to press home their 15-point demands. As it appears their action is causing immense sufferings to passengers bound for Southern part of Bangladesh such as Barisal and other coastal districts as they are turning back from Sadarghat Launch Terminal. We hold the view that worker leaders; launch owners and the government’s political leadership must immediately sit together to end the deadlock. What is important is that the Eid-ul-Azha festival is knocking at the door and one should not wait to see it becoming a bigger problem to the home goers at this time.
It is also hurting transport of fuel, merchandise, fish and vegetable to the city and it may also block transport of sacrificial animals very soon to city market. It is not unlikely that workers may have planned their strike ahead of the festival to bring greater pressure on vessel owners to accept their demands which include a minimum monthly wage of taka ten thousand, increase in overtime pay, festival bonuses and other benefits, ensuring security and navigability of vessels. What is more agonizing is that all kinds of river transports like trawlers, barges, tankers and lighters have joined the strike and in our view the government must realize the seriousness of the problem before causing longer suffering to passengers using river routes in their daily life.
Water transport workers had enforced a similar strike in April this year on the same demands but called off it in few a days following a tripartite meeting and on government’s promise to meet their demands. Had those were implemented, this strike would not have happened. What is important is that all parties must be sincere to avoid crisis. Launch owners blame workers for not being honest and as mostly illiterate they do not deserve more salary. But this can’t be a good reason, because workers also have their families and they can rightly claim a rise in their salary and overtime. We know that a government minister is also the leader of the transport workers but he seems to be reluctant to bring pressure on owners on political reasons. We believe he can be even handed to end the crisis.
What is important is that the cost of living is surging and the phenomenal rise in government employees’ salary also made workers demand for higher wages quite legitimate. Moreover, workers demand to ensure fitness of vessels and navigable of water routes is highly critical to avoid accidents. Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) officials regularly issue fake fitness certificate to faulty vessels on bribes but when accidents take place workers often die for no fault of their own.
