Movement of goods through waterways remained halted for the second consecutive day on Wednesday following the countrywide work abstention by riverine transport workers.
The workers under the banner of Bangladesh Noujan Sramik Federation (BNSF) went on work abstention to press home their 11-point demand from Tuesday.
Due to the strike, a number of mother vessels and lighter ships remained stuck in Chattogram and other seaports of the country, waiting to unload tonnes of essential commodities.
Talking to the FE, the BNSF leaders said they are yet to get any offer regarding their demands from the owners of water vessels (cargo and tanker) for resolving the ongoing stalemate. "We will continue our work abstention until fulfilling our 11-point demand," BNSF general secretary Chowdhury Ashiqul Alam told the FE on Wednesday.
He said they had placed their demands before the owners several times in the past, which yielded no result.
The owners could fulfill their demands gradually to bring about a solution to the present stalemate amicably and peacefully.
"At this moment the owners could give food allowances to the workers. And later on, other demands could be resolved through negotiation," Mr Alam opined.
But the owners said their income has reduced drastically due to the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak.
They added that at present it is impossible for them to fulfill all the demands of the river vessel transport workers.
The BNSF's demands are: providing food allowance, stopping robbery and toll collection from all river vessels like cargo and tanker, giving salary to all river vessel workers as per 2016 gazette, providing landing pass to the foreign-bound (India) vessel workers by the owners, giving night shift and ocean-going allowances to the workers, and revising technical allowances.
Besides, providing compensation of Tk one million in case of death of any worker during duty, issuance of appointment letter, identity cards and service books to the workers by the owners, maintaining navigability of river routes including setting up boya and lights on the routes for ensuring smooth movement of cargo vessels during night, providing certificates to the masters/drivers after proper scrutiny, stopping the workers' harassments by the Department of Shipping, and ensuring social security of the river vessel workers are also among the BNSF's demands.
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