Shops to open during strikes

Shop owners, frustrated by the current political unrest in the country, have decided to keep their businesses open from 2pm-9pm during any future shutdown.

Shops will also not keep shutters down on the weekend starting from Wednesday until this year’s Eid-ul-Fitr, the National Association of Shop Owners in Bangladesh said in a media statement on Tuesday.

The statement said the decision, taken at a meeting, was made to recover the losses due to the ongoing political unrest.

The shop owners have urged the opposition to not call series of shutdowns and the government to makes moves to end the crisis.

Their move follows a series of general strikes in the last few months. Bangladesh is also going through a four-day shutdown in the ongoing week.

Little known Hifazat-e Islam had observed a nationwide general strike on Monday and main opposition BNP is enforcing a 36-hour shutdown from Tuesday. Islami Chhatra Shibir, student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, has also called a shutdown for Thursday.

The BNP had also enforced several strikes in the last few months demanding a non-party government to hold the next general elections and release of its detained leaders and activists. Jamaat had also enforced several shutdowns in February and March.

The shop owners association’s Senior Vice-President Aktaruzzaman Monju told bdnews24.com: “Our businesses are about to shut because of the strikes. That’s why we have decided to keep our shops open.”

About the security of their businesses, he said, “We have sought security from the government and it has assured us verbally.”

“We have also urged the opposition party. I hope they will oblige us.”

Regarding putting off the one-day weekly holiday, which is mandatory according to the labour law, he said, “We have requested the Ministry of Labour and Employment about this. They assured us that our decision will be considered.”

Monju said, “Your [politicians] political and democratic right to call strikes has let us do business only one day this month until now.”

“But we are not any kind of political element.”

The meeting of the National Association of Shop Owners in Bangladesh on Tuesday also decided to hold a rally of the owners of shops and businesses soon against the anarchic political situation.

Monjur said they were unable to do business in 51 days of the last three months and nine days due to general strikes, public holidays and weekly holidays.