River route workers agree to join work after daylong strike

Bangladesh Noujan Sramik Federation on early Wednesday postponed for 45 days work abstention of waterway workers that caused sufferings to hundreds of passengers and business people and hampered export and import through sea ports on Tuesday.
Federation leaders announced the decision after a meeting with state minister for labour and employment Begum Monnujan Sufian at the Department of Labour at Motijheel in Dhaka as she assured them of meeting their 11-point demands.
The meeting, began at about 7:30pm on Tuesday and ended at about 1:30am on Wednesday, assured that the demands would be realised in 45 days and the federation postponed the work abstention, federation organising secretary Afsar Hossain Chowdhury told New Age.
Earlier Bangladesh Noujan Sramik Federation enforced the work abstention after midnight past Monday for 11-point demands, including implementation of the wage board award 2016, Tk 10 lakh in compensations for death on duty, appointment letters, and an end to corruption in recruitment exams, intimidation, extortion and robbery on waterways.
Hundreds of passengers and businesspeople suffered across the country and export and import through sea ports were hampered on Tuesday as water transport workers began indefinite work abstention.
No launches started from Sadarghat launch terminal in Dhaka and Barisal river port from Tuesday morning. Some of the passengers waited all over the day at the terminals and some availed other transports while the others returned failing to get other options. 
Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority joint director Md Alamgir Kabir, posted at Sadarghat terminal, said that between 5:30pm and 10:30pm 13 launches started for Barishal, Barguna and Hatiya. 
Export and import activities through sea ports were severely hampered on the day as there was no movement of the lighter ships at Chittagong Port and huge imported goods were stranded in mother vessels at the port’s outer anchorage, port officials said.
Federation president Md Shah Alam Bhuiyan said that two lakh workers of more than 20,000 registered water transports began the work abstention for the 11-point demands, including identity cards and service books, an end to corruption in recruitment, distribution and renewal of certificates for masters and other workers and in inspection process, Tk 10 lakh in compensation for the family of any worker for death on duty and landing passes for workers of India-bound workers.
They also demanded food allowance for all workers, re-fixing technical allowances, sea allowances for workers at Chattogram, Mongla and Payra ports’ outer anchorage, ensuring social security of the workers and setting up lights and buoys to ensure safe and protected navigation.
At Sadarghat launch terminal, many passengers were seen waiting daylong for getting launches for 43 southern routes connecting 22 districts while not a single launch out of about 90 started from the terminal since morning. 
Usually from the morning, at least 18 launches start from the terminal for Chandpur with an interval of about one hour every day. 
Till 5:00pm on Tuesday, no launches on the route started from Sadarghat, said Jahangir Alam, the counterperson at Lalkuthi terminal from where Chandpur-bound launches started. 
Rajib Chowdhury, a passenger on the route, came at the terminal from Rampura with his family. 
‘I don’t know anything about the strike,’ he said, adding that if they failed to get any launch, they would go by bus from Saidabad terminal.
Green Line launch on Dhaka-Barishal route, scheduled to start at 8:00am, also did not start from Sadarghat terminal while about 250 passengers returned, said ticket seller Khawza Mohid. 
At 5:00pm, a total of 12 launches were seen to wait at the terminal while Bangladesh Inland Waterways (Passenger Carriers) Association chief adviser Golam Kibria Tipu, also a lawmaker, said that they would continue their service amidst the strike. 
Earlier in the morning, a Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority official alleged that some of the federation workers compelled the passengers to get down from some launches.
Some launches from southern districts, however, reached the terminal in the morning. The launches started from southern districts before midnight.
New Age correspondent in Chattogram reported that workers kept suspended loading and unloading of goods at the port.
Bangladesh Lighterage Sramik Union Chattogram vice-president Nobi Alam said that more than 200 lighterage vessels kept idle at Chattogram port though mother vessels had been waiting in the deep sea for lighter vessels to unload the imported goods. 
Chattogram Port Authority secretary Mohammad Omar Faruk told New Age that at the main jetty of the port loading and unloading activities continued but lighter ships could not move.
New Age correspondent in Barishal reported that Launch Labour Association enforced the countrywide strike along with Bangladesh Noujan Sramik Federation.
At Barisal river port, launches were seen anchored on mid-river without plying on 18 routes of the southern area.
As a result, hundreds of passengers forced to return from the port or wait there helplessly as they had no other transportation facilities to reach their destination.
Henry Shwapan, a passenger, said he wanted to go Dhaka with his family while he was not sure how he could go there. 
New Age correspondent in Munshiganj reported that launch movement on Shimulia-Kathalbari and Munshiganj-Narayanganj routes was normal.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net