Launch services resume at Sadarghat amid strike

Launch services between Dhaka and southern districts have resumed after several hours of disruption due to a strike called by a group of workers over a charter of 15 demands.

But the workers later allowed passenger vessels to operate after the government agreed to review their demands, said Noujan Sramik League President Omar Faruk.

“But the work abstention for cargo vessels will continue."

Following the partial withdrawal of the strike, the first vessel left Sadarghat around 1:30 pm on Wednesday as passengers began to gather at the launch terminal, said Mohammad Selim, transport inspector of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority, or BIWTA.

The impromptu strike called by Jatiya Sramik Oikya Parishad and Jatiya Sramik League on Wednesday morning halted the launch services between Dhaka and southern districts.

Only Greenline’s launch left for Barishal on 8am before the strike began.

The two groups of workers called the strike with a charter of 15 demands, including stopping unskilled worker recruitment, digging river for smooth navigation, setting up training center for workers, ban on overloading and introducing healthcare system for workers.

The labour ministry is expected to sit with the workers at 5pm to discuss the demands, according to Faruk.