Launch, lighterage vessel workers go on strike
FE Report | Saturday, 12 July 2008
Launch and lighterage workers went on strike from Thursday midnight demanding a hike in their wages, halting passenger and cargo services on major river routes across the country.
The strike caused untold sufferings to the people generally travel on river routes. The strike also severely affected transportation of goods, sources said.
Officials at Sadarghat Launch Terminal said no passenger launch left or reached the terminal Friday.
A meeting was going on between the launch and lighterage owners and workers but they failed to reach a consensus till the filing of this report at 9pm Friday.
During the meeting, the owners agreed to increase basic pay of workers by 25 per cent from July 1 last but the workers refused to accept it. Meeting sources said that workers wanted at least 70 per cent hike of their basic pay.
Currently, they are getting 1900 a month as per the wage approved by the government in 2004.
The wage is adjusted each five years and the next adjustment will take place in January 2009.
"They have refused to withdraw the strike. We have tried our best to resolve the issue and mitigate people's sufferings as well as help ease cargo movement at outer anchorage at Chittagong port," said Abdul Karim, acting president of Bangladesh Cargo Vessels Owners Association (BCVOA).
Sources said there are 15 cargo vessels at the Chittaong port outer anchorage and they remained standstill due to the strike. Lighter vessels carry cargo to different destinations from outer anchorages.
"The demurrage only in Chittagong port outer anchorage is around $20,000 a day due to the strike," said Abdul Karim.
The strike caused sufferings to hundred of passengers at different terminals on major river routes, including Sadarghat in Dhaka, Narayanganj, Chandpur, Barisal, Bhola and Patuakhali, sources said.
The launches were seen anchored on the other side of the Sadarghat terminal in Dhaka and passengers who arrived at the terminals found no launch there.
The helpless passengers were found crowding in road transport stations and steamer terminal of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) and some were found travelling by small engine boats and trawlers.
Some passengers were found sitting at the terminals for the launches in the later hours.
Shah Alam, vice-president of Bangladesh Naujan Sramik Federation, told the FE said the workers spontaneously went on strike in support of demand for increase in their wage.
But the launch owners' association leaders accused the workers of going on strike without informing them.
When contacted, an official of Kotwali police station said that there was no untoward incident reported for the strike.
He said the people came to the terminal in the morning but most of them returned to their houses finding no motor launches in the terminal.
According to BCVOA, the government Thursday formed a six-member committee, headed by Azizur Rahman - a joint secretary of the labour and employment ministry, to fix the new wage structure for the river transport workers.
The committee will submit its report by November and the new pay structure will be effective from January next year.
The committee will also suggest a dearness allowance for the workers in the interim period and it will be effective from July 1, BCVOA leaders said.
Earlier, joint meetings between the concerned authorities and workers were held on June 10, 16 and 26 but both sides failed to reach consensus. After those meetings, workers peacefully observed weeklong programmes of sit-in strike in front of launch owners and labour directorate offices, brought out processions, gave memorandums with ultimatums to launch owners and different administrative authorities.
Earlier, they had meetings with owners of vessels and lighterages few days back and they also seized the office of Water Transport Coordination Cell (WTCC), a body of three water transport organisation at Chittagong in support of their demand.
As the workers did not get any result from those meetings, the workers; association gave ultimatum to go on strike sine die from July 11, 2008 early hours to press their demands, said workers' association general secretary Abul Hashem.
He said that at present lascar, cook and sweeper receive Tk 1900 a month, Sukani and clerk Tk 2100, third class master Tk 2800, second-class master Tk 3300 and first class master Tk 4500 as salaries including all benefits.
A government handout Thursday said the workers promised not to go on strike for the time being in view of the government initiative for increasing wages of water transport workers.
The strike caused untold sufferings to the people generally travel on river routes. The strike also severely affected transportation of goods, sources said.
Officials at Sadarghat Launch Terminal said no passenger launch left or reached the terminal Friday.
A meeting was going on between the launch and lighterage owners and workers but they failed to reach a consensus till the filing of this report at 9pm Friday.
During the meeting, the owners agreed to increase basic pay of workers by 25 per cent from July 1 last but the workers refused to accept it. Meeting sources said that workers wanted at least 70 per cent hike of their basic pay.
Currently, they are getting 1900 a month as per the wage approved by the government in 2004.
The wage is adjusted each five years and the next adjustment will take place in January 2009.
"They have refused to withdraw the strike. We have tried our best to resolve the issue and mitigate people's sufferings as well as help ease cargo movement at outer anchorage at Chittagong port," said Abdul Karim, acting president of Bangladesh Cargo Vessels Owners Association (BCVOA).
Sources said there are 15 cargo vessels at the Chittaong port outer anchorage and they remained standstill due to the strike. Lighter vessels carry cargo to different destinations from outer anchorages.
"The demurrage only in Chittagong port outer anchorage is around $20,000 a day due to the strike," said Abdul Karim.
The strike caused sufferings to hundred of passengers at different terminals on major river routes, including Sadarghat in Dhaka, Narayanganj, Chandpur, Barisal, Bhola and Patuakhali, sources said.
The launches were seen anchored on the other side of the Sadarghat terminal in Dhaka and passengers who arrived at the terminals found no launch there.
The helpless passengers were found crowding in road transport stations and steamer terminal of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) and some were found travelling by small engine boats and trawlers.
Some passengers were found sitting at the terminals for the launches in the later hours.
Shah Alam, vice-president of Bangladesh Naujan Sramik Federation, told the FE said the workers spontaneously went on strike in support of demand for increase in their wage.
But the launch owners' association leaders accused the workers of going on strike without informing them.
When contacted, an official of Kotwali police station said that there was no untoward incident reported for the strike.
He said the people came to the terminal in the morning but most of them returned to their houses finding no motor launches in the terminal.
According to BCVOA, the government Thursday formed a six-member committee, headed by Azizur Rahman - a joint secretary of the labour and employment ministry, to fix the new wage structure for the river transport workers.
The committee will submit its report by November and the new pay structure will be effective from January next year.
The committee will also suggest a dearness allowance for the workers in the interim period and it will be effective from July 1, BCVOA leaders said.
Earlier, joint meetings between the concerned authorities and workers were held on June 10, 16 and 26 but both sides failed to reach consensus. After those meetings, workers peacefully observed weeklong programmes of sit-in strike in front of launch owners and labour directorate offices, brought out processions, gave memorandums with ultimatums to launch owners and different administrative authorities.
Earlier, they had meetings with owners of vessels and lighterages few days back and they also seized the office of Water Transport Coordination Cell (WTCC), a body of three water transport organisation at Chittagong in support of their demand.
As the workers did not get any result from those meetings, the workers; association gave ultimatum to go on strike sine die from July 11, 2008 early hours to press their demands, said workers' association general secretary Abul Hashem.
He said that at present lascar, cook and sweeper receive Tk 1900 a month, Sukani and clerk Tk 2100, third class master Tk 2800, second-class master Tk 3300 and first class master Tk 4500 as salaries including all benefits.
A government handout Thursday said the workers promised not to go on strike for the time being in view of the government initiative for increasing wages of water transport workers.