CHATTOGRAM, Oct 04: A truck and covered van owners and workers platform on Sunday called a two-day countrywide transport strike from Oct 12 to press for their demands, including an amendment to the Bangladesh Road Transport Act 2018.
The Bangladesh Truck & Covered Van Owners and Workers Somonnoy Porishad called the 48-hour strike on Oct 12-13 from a workers' rally at a community centre in Karnaphuli Bridge area in the evening.
Addressing the rally as the chief guest, Osman Ali, central general secretary of Bangladesh Road Transport Sramik Federation (BRTSF) said, the government implemented the Road Transport Act 2018 which created an unstable situation in the transport sector.
Urging to meet their nine-point demands to restore stability in the sector, he said, the owners and the workers are losing a large amount of money (every day) since implementation of the Road Transport Act.
"We have already sent (a) 9-point-demand to the government. If the government does not meet the demands including an amendment to (the) Bangladesh Road Transport Act 2018, we will observe the 48-hour strike on October 12 and 13," he said.
"If the demands are not met (before and during the 48-hour strike), we will announce tougher programmes, including a 96-hour-long strike," he warned.
"We never wanted to go for a movement against the government. We (only) want the realisation of our demands," he added.
Bangladesh Covered Van Owners Association president Tofazzal Hossain was present as the special guest at the event, chaired by convenor of the Chattogram regional committee of Somonnoy Porishad, Md Abdul Manan.
Joint secretary of Chattogram regional committee of BRTSF Md Abdur Rahim moderated the event, also addressed by Porishad leader Md Tajul Islam, Bangladesh Road Transport Workers Federation president Mohammed Musa, Greater Chattogram Transport Onwers Federation secretary Nurul Absar, Bangladesh Truck Drivers Union president Monir Talukdar, Chattogram Divisional Transport Association general secretary Golam Nobi and Chattogram district unit secretary of the transport owners group Golam Rasul Babul.
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