Cargo vessel owners call off strike after six days

Ship owners have called off the indefinite strike they enforced six days ago in protest against the government’s announcement to hike the wage of the waterways workers.

The withdrawal announcement followed a meeting between Cargo Vessel Owners' Association and Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan on Monday.

Association President Khandaker Mahbub Uddin told reporters after the meeting, “Ships will be arriving at Chittagong port and will be unloading cargo from mother vessels from afternoon (today).”

Water vessel transport workers also went on an indefinite strike on Apr 21 to press for a 15-point charter of demand, including hike in the minimum wage.

They withdrew the strike after the shipping minister announced Tk 9,000 as the minimum wage for them on Apr 25, but ship owners retaliated by slapping a strike of their own.

The two rounds of strike have disrupted the unloading of imported goods and machineries from mother vessels.

Monday’s withdrawal has relieved thousands of importers.

The minister said the new pay for the waterways workers would be finalised after a review of the wage determination committee under the labour ministry.

Mahbub said the owners would accept any decision taken by the committee.

The minister said the wage would not be reduced much from what he had announced earlier.

Khan said the workers would not need to go on strike again.