Vessels operate amidst lukewarm water transport workers strike

Movement of river vessels was found normal on the fourth day as well of the ongoing indefinite strike called by the Water Transport Workers Sangram Parishad.

A total of 33 launches arrived at the Sadarghat launch terminal until noon while four left for Barisal, Shurewshwar, Muladi and Chandpur on Friday.
 
The Sangram Parishad called the strike on Tuesday to press home its four-point charter of demands. The demands include a fixing of the minimum wage of transport workers at Tk 10,000, refixing of the rate of compensation for workers killed in accidents, steps to prevent theft, terrorism and extortion and preservation of the navigability of rivers.
 
On Thursday, a meeting presided over by Ashrafuzzaman, Director of the Department of Labour, was held in which the leaders of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport (passenger carriers’) Association took part. The meeting, however, reached no agreement on an end to the ongoing agitation.
 
Aminul Islam, Joint Secretary of the Department of Labour, also attended the meeting.
 
At the end of the meeting, Ashrafuzzaman told the media: “We will again sit with the owners and workers to arrive at a solution.”
 
A similar meeting was scheduled to be held among government representatives and the owners and workers of the river transport sector on Wednesday. However, the meeting was held only with the agitating workers in the end in the absence of the owners.
 
As the meeting drew to an end, Ohejul Islam Bulbul, Convener of the Water Transport Workers Sangram Parishad, made it known that the strike would continue  if wages were not fixed in line with  the workers’ demand.
 
The launch movement across the country was not hindered by the strike.
 
According to Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), the ongoing movement has hardly had any impact on waterways communication across the country.
 
Vessel movements resumed in the afternoon on the first day of the strike and have remained normal till date, says BIWTA.
 
On Thursday, 63 launches left the Sadarghat Launch Terminal while 44 arrived there.