A great relief
This wildcat
strike caused immense sufferings to people all across the country. It caused a huge
loss in economic
terms also
A great relief came to the people as the Bangladesh Road Transport Workers Federation withdrew their indefinite strike yesterday. A bolt from the blue, this wildcat strike caused immense sufferings to people, including the seriously ailing patients, all across the country. The strike caused huge loss in economic terms also. The transport workers enforced this nationwide strike as a driver was sentenced to death in a case filed over a road crash that killed a woman in Savar in 2003. The workers demanded that the death sentence be withdrawn.
They also demanded withdrawal of life imprisonment of bus driver responsible for killing Tareque Masud, Mishuk Munier and three others. Yesterday, the Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan sat with the leaders of the Bangladesh Road Transport Workers Federation for a negotiation over the strike. A High Court rule also came yesterday that ordered the relevant entities including the various law enforcing agencies to make things normal on the roads within 24 hours.
Now, the observance of the strike was not only irresponsible, it was criminal also. The transport workers, instead of putting countless to suffer, could have gone to the court to find an answer to their genuine grievances. But through the observance of strike, they have lost their case. They wanted to force the court to withdraw its verdict at gunpoint. It has been alleged that some government high-ups, instigated the transport workers to call the countrywide strike. It is well advised to make a thorough investigation into this allegation and bring out what was the truth.
The observance of the strike also raised one very pertinent question: cant a court punish a driver even when he is proved guilty? How can one organisation be so powerful? But if the case was pursued normally, appealing against the verdict in a higher court, the driver(s) punishment could have been lessened or they could be proved innocent.
True, a driver does not sit behind the wheel to kill, but immunity to drivers mean you are giving them licence to kill intentionally on the road and there might always be some evil ones who can really take this advantage. That is why it is always up to the court whether a driver is guilty or not.
