Lighter vessel workers strike
Transportation of fuel hit hard
The strike by lighter vessel workers in Chittagong has raised serious concern as transportation of fuel, particularly octane, has come to a standstill for the past three days. The state minister for power, energy and mineral resources, Nasrul Hamid, held an emergency meeting at the ministry yesterday.
The strike has made a severe impact on national oil reserves. Bangladesh has 30 days of diesel reserves, 20 days of jet fuel and 30 days of kerosene. The country no longer imports octane.
Talking to The Independent, Nasrul Hamid said the meeting decided to resolve the crisis by today (Tuesday). Otherwise the situation will worsen, he added.
The crisis began on Saturday after work at 16 jetties of the Karnaphuli river was suspended as a group of lighter vessel workers went on a wildcat strike. The workers, under the banner of the Bangladesh Lighterage Workers Union, called the strike demanding implementation of the newly-announced wage structure. The strikers said a minimum wage of Tk. 9,650 was fixed at a tripartite meeting last November. They strikers gave an ultimatum to the vessel owners to implement the revised wage structure by February 13.
The Water Transport Cell (WTC) coordinates the activities of individually-owned vessels in Chittagong and its nearby areas. According to WTC sources, around 60 lighter vessels were stranded with different types of goods in the Karnaphuli due to the work abstention.
