Workers of river vessels under the banner of Bangladesh River Vessels Workers Federation (BRVWF) will go for work abstention tomorrow (Tuesday) for an indefinite period to meet their 11-point demands.
BRVWF general secretary Chowdhury Ashiqul Alam announced the programme at a press briefing at the National Press Club in the capital on Sunday. BRVWF president Md Shah Alam and its vice-president Syed Sahadat Hossain, among others, were present at the briefing.
River transport plays a crucial role in improving the economy of the country, Ashiqul Alam says.
This sector was contributing a lot to the country's economy through shipment of goods and transport of public at a competitive rates compared to road transport, he reveals.
The improvement of living standard and safety of river vessels' workers are being widely ignored, Mr Islam says.
The BRVWF leader also said they had been calling upon the government for a long time to resolve their problems. Some of their problems were solved by the government following their movement, but most of their demands still have remained unresolved, he says. The demands include formation of contributory fund and river vessels' workers welfare fund for ensuring workers social safety, bringing all river vessels' owners under a single platform with an uniform serial, signing agreement with vessels owners for resettling unresolved demands that are out of gazette but mentioned in bilateral agreement between the owners and the workers, preparing Sankha river in Chattogram fit for harbouring ships and setting up two-foot over bridges and five toll-free ghats from Charpra to Jaliapara in Chattogram for the safety of the workers.
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