Lighterage vessel workers abstain from joining work as no visible solution yet

CHITTAGONG, Nov 10: Lighterage vessel workers did not join their duties despite withdrawal of strike as two other vessels came under attack of the robbers Sunday night.
Noujan Sramik Federation, which represents 80 per cent of the lighter vessel workers, said they would continue their strike so long the government does not sit with them and ensure security on the river routes.
Joint Secretary of Noujan Sramik Federation, Khurshed Alam, said they continued their protest programme and none of the workers joined unloading of cargo from the mother vessels at the outer anchorage of Chittagong port.
Vessels with cargo have been forced to remain where they are in the 16 ghats of the Karnaphuli River, and not a single vessel could move. On the other hand, unloading of cargo from the mother vessels also remained suspended since Saturday morning.
President of Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), Mahbubul Alam, has said that activities in the port's outer anchorage, Mongla and Majhirghat have collapsed for the last three days as no cargo was unloaded from the mother vessels which have brought huge quantity of food grains for the importers.
"I called on the shipping minister Sunday evening and requested him to take proper steps to ensure lighter vessel workers' security but it is unfortunate that the strike has continued for the third day without any visible solution to the problem," he said.
General Secretary of Lighterage Vessels Workers Union, Syed Shahadat Hossain, said they had withdrawn the strike following assurance from the police administration relating to steps to ensure security on the inland river routes.
"But the workers did not resume work as two more ships -- MV Master Shoyeb and MV Water Hand -- came under attack of robbers at Gajaria of Munshiganj district Sunday night," he said.
Shahdat Hossain joined the meeting convened at the office of the DIG, Chittagong Range but the major faction of the workers headed by president of Bangladesh Noujan Sramik Federation, Abu Taher, abstained from joining the discussion initiated by shipping minister Shajahan Khan at the office of the DIG, Chittagong Range, Shafiqul Islam.
Shafiqul Islam assured the lighterage vessel workers that necessary steps would be taken to ensure security of the workers while the shipping minister told the reporters at a function of the Chittagong port that an inter-ministerial meeting will be held in Dhaka on the issue on November 18.
Over 1.30 million tonnes of food grains have been awaiting unloading from the ships for the last three days as no work of unloading cargo from vessels in the outer anchorage was accomplished on the third consecutive day Monday.
Berthing position of the vessels in Chittagong port shows that all the 29 workable mother vessels including three oil tankers and 26 with food grains, general cargo, fertiliser, salt, cement clinker and sugar stayed idle in the outer anchorage and no unloading of cargo took place in any of the mother vessels even Sunday night or Monday morning.
Cargo was handled in 9 vessels in the main jetties of the prime seaport, most of which are container carriers. There is no disruption of cargo handling in the main jetties, Deputy Traffic Manager (operation) Hasina Arju said.
She told this correspondent that a section of workers tried to resume duties of unloading cargo from the mother vessels but other workers obstructed them at jetty ghat no 15 from where the lighterage ships were scheduled to leave for the outer anchorage.
"A small number of lighterage vessel workers wanted to resume work Monday morning but they are afraid of being attacked as they have been obstructed by a large number of workers at jetty no 15 area," she said.
Many ships loaded with cargo could not move from the port and were waiting for decision to leave for destinations from Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) and lighterage ships' private coordination body, WTC (Water Transport Cell).
WTC officials said they have nothing to do unless the lighterage vessel workers resume their duties. On the other hand, chairman of CPA along with a number of senior officials including director (traffic) of the CPA were not available in the port office.
They left Chittagong Sunday to attend a meeting at the Ministry of Shipping scheduled for today (Monday) to take a decision relating to the New Mooring Container Terminal.  
Workers of all cargo carriers plying the inland waterways across the country launched an indefinite strike from Saturday morning after seven people on board a fertiliser-laden lighter vessel -- MV Karnaphuli-5 -- went missing in Laksmipur waters following what they said a robbery.
They have demanded of the administration to ensure safety and security of the lighterage vessels on the internal water routes and freeing the routes from extortion and robbery as a series of attacks on them by the robbers have taken place recently.

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