Transport strike

Happily, the transport strike enforced in the Khulna division following the arrest of three bus operators has come to an end, at last. But the strike was not withdrawn before the assurance of release of the three men - the driver, helper and ticket checker of a Dhaka-Jessore route bus - held in detention. By the time seven days have passed with thousands of people in need of travelling on the route suffering an outsize ordeal on account of lack of public transports. By all accounts, south-western region of the country is particularly susceptible to such transport stalemate almost on a regular basis. The transport operators use this arms-twisting tactic on the smallest of pretexts. Even if someone is detained by the police on a charge not even remotely linked to transport business, the transport workers' association would make it an issue of its own and call a wildcat strike.
In the latest case, the dacoity committed in a Dhaka-bound bus at a place under Satkhira has two versions. The police say that they arrested the trio on clear allegations from passengers of the bus that those three were involved in the robbery. On their part, the transport operators claim that the police did not do their duty properly and falsely implicated the driver and his two assistants when they went to the police station to file a case. Even if the charge brought against the police is correct, they cannot go for a strike like this. All they can do is fight it in the court. The court will hear both sides' arguments and decide who were to blame. Instead, the transport workers' body has taken it collectively upon itself to flex its muscle and get its men out of the gaol.
Sure enough, the transport workers are a formidable force collectively. Their sheer number counts. Now the question is, if they are not abusing their organisational strength. If an organisation defends its errant members and does not allow the law to take its own course, there develops a culture of no justice. Once, the collective bargaining agents (CBAs) of state-owned industries or corporations grew into hydra-headed heedless monsters which were one of the prime causes of disintegration of many such establishments. That legacy until today refuses to vanish. Wherever there is the numerical superiority, members belonging to the collective body often behave badly or irrationally.
Whether it is a political party or any other body commanding numerical or brute force, the cardinal principle ought to be go by the rules. Intimidation or actual application of force for a wrong cause only gives rise to lawlessness and chaos. Society loses its poise and fall victim to irrational exercise of power. The transport workers have overused the collective power. If the law-enforcers have done anything excess, they too should be taken to task. Unfortunately, they are becoming a party to such disputes not because of anything else but because of their controversial roles. They are hardly taken into public confidence. They also need to mend their behaviour in order to command respect. Society grows in stature if all try to play fair and properly from their respective positions.