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Shipowners and workers (cargo vehicles) in the country have faced the lawsuits. The government has also not taken the initiative to resolve the crisis between the two parties. The owners said they would file a contempt of court case against the workers’ federation for calling the strike in defiance of the court’s ban. And the workers say they will continue the strike if the demands are not met.
The naval workers’ strike (cargo vehicles) demanding 11 points, including food allowance, has created a stagnation in the transport of goods by river throughout the country. Unloading activities at seaports have stopped. The lighter ships are sitting lazily with goods on the docks. The Bangladesh Maritime Transport Workers’ Federation started a continuous strike for goods and oil tankers since midnight on Monday.
Meanwhile, Mahbubul Alam, president of the Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry, has written to the Minister of Labor and Employment, Begum Mannujan Sufian, to take urgent action to suspend the strike.
The letter was sent on Tuesday. In it, the president of the chamber said that the ship’s workers began an indefinite strike since the night of October 19. As a result, the unloading of industrial raw materials and basic necessities at the outer port of Chittagong port was stopped. The non-operation of cargo ships will interrupt the transportation of these raw materials and merchandise throughout the country and will create a new crisis by generating ship congestion and container congestion in the port. Increased ship response time and overstay will increase the cost of importing and exporting goods, including separation charges. Merchants will suffer financially and ordinary consumers will have to purchase necessities at additional cost.
He said that at this point in the global coronavirus epidemic, ordinary people suffering from financial problems will face more pressure. Traders who are undertaking activities to restore momentum to the economy will face a new crisis of existence.
In the letter, the chamber president further said that considering the current economic context of the country, such a strike is more damaging than at any other time. This will disrupt industrial production and disrupt the supply of essential commodities across the country. As a result, the market will be unstable and commodity prices will rise uncontrollably, damaging both the macro and macro economy.
However, the owners and workers organizations do not have a formal initiative to end the ongoing strike by the cargo ship workers. The two parties did not receive a formal agreement from the government. Owners and workers organizations have made contradictory statements about the strike. The Bangladesh Cargo Ship Owners Association has called the strike illegal and against the High Court verdict. Striking workers will not be paid from Wednesday unless the strike is canceled, union leaders told a news conference. They said the owners would not operate the boat if the workers’ demands were imposed.
On the other hand, the leaders of the strike organization Bangladesh Naujan Sramik Federation said that the strike will continue until the demand is satisfied. Workers’ protests and rallies continue in different districts of the country, including Narayanganj and Chittagong, in support of the program.
According to interested sources, informal talks are taking place between the government, owners and leaders of workers’ organizations. Several groups of companies have agreed to pay a subsidy of Rs 2,000 for transport workers. If the rest of the employers agree to pay the same amount of subsidy, there may be a formal meeting with all parties at BIWTA or the Department of Labor. However, one of the owners said that he was willing to pay a minimum of Rs 1,000 per month as a food allowance to the workers. Some union leaders do not agree with this.
Deputy Director of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA). Alamgir Kabir said that, like other days, launches of all routes from Sadarghat were launched on Tuesday. The number of motorboats arriving and departing from Dhaka has not decreased. Everything is normal.
The Bangladesh Maritime Transport Workers’ Federation went on strike since midnight Monday demanding 11 points. Earlier on Monday evening, the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) and the heads of the Bangladesh Department of Transport failed to reach an agreement between the owners and workers’ organizations. The two companies did not take any formal initiative on Tuesday. The employers ‘and workers’ organizations also did not take any steps to resolve the crisis on their own.
The Bangladesh Cargo Ship Owners Association held a press conference on Tuesday afternoon on the situation of the strike. The general secretary of the organization. Nurul Haque said the high court had prohibited workers from calling a strike. The allocation of food that they demand is also prohibited. He also said the court would file a contempt case against the workers’ federation for calling a strike in defiance of the ban. He also commented that there were black hands behind the blow.
Nurul Haque said: “If the demands of the workers are imposed on us, it will not be possible to handle the ship.” We will not sail. Our ships do not travel. We have no income, I cannot pay 2-3 months. Even then the food allowance is imposed.
In response to a question, he said how many groups of companies could announce a 2,000 Tk food allowance for workers on their ships. It’s their business. The number of their boats is not more than 500. They give 4-5 trips a month in violation of the rules. The number of ships of general property exceeds two thousand five hundred. They will not pay for this allowance.
The leaders raised six demands at the press conference. The demands are that all parties must abide by the Superior Court’s prohibition on the allocation of alimony. Ship workers who ignore Water Transport Cell (WTC) policies must have their certificates revoked. Punitive measures must be taken against terrorists who obstruct the operation of ships. According to the Official Gazette, before 2021 they must abstain from the illegal demands of the workers’ organization. Illegal shipping without inspection and registration must be stopped with the help of transportation workers. Freight transport through illegal bulkheads from abroad must be stopped.
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