Operations at Chattogram Port, the country’s busiest trade hub, have come to a standstill as a strike by port workers and employees drags on, triggering significant delays in imports and exports, as talks are underway between labour representatives and port authorities to resolve the crisis, reports UNB.
The strike continued for the fourth consecutive day on Wednesday protesting the plans to lease the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) to global port operator DP World.
As a result, import-export trade has come to a standstill, inflicting losses worth several hundred crore taka on shipping lines.
The workers of Chattogram Port have been observing work stoppages for eight hours a day over the past three days from Saturday to Monday while they observed a 24-hr strike from Tuesday morning.
Amid the worsening situation, port-related business leaders have sat in an emergency meeting with labour leaders in a bid to resolve the crisis around 2 pm on Wednesday at a hotel in Agrabad area of the Chattogram port city and it continued until the filing of this report.
Labour leaders said port workers and employees went on an eight-hour strike protesting the agreement with a foreign company to operate the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) from Saturday.
As their demands were not met, they announced a 24-hour strike from Wednesday.
The protesters also alleged that although the NCT is a self-sustaining and profitable terminal built with the port’s own funds, steps are being taken to hand it over to a foreign company.
They also claimed that the decision could threaten national sovereignty and lead to job losses for many workers.
The labour leaders also demanded to withdraw the decision to hand over the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) to global port operator DP World.
Meanwhile, the port authorities said the process of signing a contract with a foreign company to operate the NCT is underway to make Chattogram Port more dynamic and modern.
The matter has not yet been finalised. Moreover, a writ petition was filed against the contract which had already been dismissed by the High Court.
Bd-pratidin English/TR
