Government ‘looking for solution’ to strike by end of Wednesday, says road transport minister

The government is working to find a solution 'by the end of Wednesday' to bring an end to the nationwide transport workers strike crippling the country, says Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader.

The minister made the statement after a short meeting at his office with Law Minister Anisul Huq, Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan, State Minister Mashiur Rahman Ranga and Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association Secretary General Khandker Enayet Ullah.

“The strike is causing much suffering,” said Quader after the half-hour meeting. “This is why we have called the meeting. We will continue discussions. [The Road Transport Owners Association] has assured us that they will speak to the labour organisations and come to a solution by today.”

“We will discuss with the leaders of the labour organisations at my office (in Motijheel) this afternoon and will try and reach a solution,” Khandker Enayet Ullah told bdnews24.com.

Transport workers took to the streets when a Manikganj court sentenced a bus driver to life in prison for a 2011 accident that left celebrated filmmaker Tareque Masud, cinematographer Mishuk Munier and three others dead. The strike began in Chuadanga and spread to in 10 districts of Khulna division on Sunday.

An agreement was reached to call off the strike but another verdict sentencing a truck driver to death for killing a woman in Savar led to its collapse. On Tuesday the strikes turned nationwide.

No inter-district bus transport was available on Wednesday. A writ petition has been submitted to the High Court challenging the strike.

Transport labour leaders have attempted to place the responsibility for the strike on workers. On Tuesday Road Transport Workers Federation Vice-President Abdul Odud Nayan said said that workers were not listening to them.

An end to the worker’s strike was unlikely, Khandker Enayet Ullah had told bdnews24.com on Tuesday.

The Road Transport Ministry had not taken the initiative to discuss the matter with labour unions on Tuesday after the courts delivered their verdicts.

A report in the Bangla daily Prothom Alo on Wednesday claimed the transport workers and owners associations were ‘holding passengers hostage’ in an attempt to change the verdicts. The decision was taken at the official residence of a government minister, the report said.

“A minister, a minister of state and a transport owners association allied with the government was directly involved in the decision,” it said.

Almost 50 transport organisation leaders, including Bangladesh Road Transport Association Chairman and State Minister Mashiur Rahman Ranga met at the home of Shipping Minister and Bangladesh Road Transport Workers Federation Acting President Shajahan Khan to make this decision, claims Prothom Alo.

The shipping minister ignored journalists at his office on Wednesday morning and left for Obaidul Quader’s office for the meeting. Mashiur Rahman Ranga joined them soon after.

“The decisions were given by the lower courts, so the workers can still appeal the case,” Law Minister Anisul Huq told reporters after the meeting.