Waterway workers have gone on an indefinite strike, demanding that their 15-point charter of demands be met. The demands include a pay hike and steps to prevent thefts and robberies on the waterways. Earlier, too, in 2009, 2010 and 2013, the workers had struck work over their demands. Vessel-owners had increased their allowances only in 2013. “There is no alternative but to go on strike. Price rise has made our lives miserable. We demand a pay hike only for survival,” Ashiqur Rahman, general secretary of Bangladesh Jahaji Shramik Federation (BJSF), told The Independent yesterday. On Wednesday, a 12-hour tripartite meeting was held on the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority premises, with shipping minister Shajahan Khan in the chair. But the meeting was inconclusive. On January 26, the workers had set a deadline of April 20 to vessel-owners to fulfil their demands. But the owners did nothing, Ashiqur Rahman said. “On Wednesday, they sought another 15 days, but we refused,” he said. Bangladesh Water Transport Workers’ Federation president Shah Alam said no passenger-carrying vessels had left Sadarghat terminal since the strike began. “Shipping minister Shajahan Khan had asked us in January to wait a month for our demands to be met. Three months have gone by without anything being done,” he alleged. The workers get Tk. 4,100 per month as salary, Shah Alam said, adding that it is impossible to run families with this paltry amount. “We have demanded Tk. 8,250 per month as salary considering the present market prices. The strike will continue unless our demand is met,” he said. Bangladesh Jahaji Shramik Federation president Shukkur Mahmud confirmed that all kinds of cargo vessels have stopped operating.
The launch owners termed the workers’ demand for Tk. 8,250 per month as salary “excessive”. “We are not against increasing the workers’ salaries, but the demand should be logical. A monthly salary of Tk. 8,250 is too high,” said Awald Hossain, owner of the vessel MV Samrat.
Needless to say, passengers caught in this fracas are suffering the most. Thousands of people bound for the southern parts of the country yesterday got stranded. Many waited for hours at the Sadarghat launch terminal in vain. Some even had to spend the night there.
“The strike was called without any prior notice. They should at least consider the plight of passengers before taking such a whimsical decision,” fumed Shafikur Rahman, a passenger bound for Barisal. Samiul, a passenger bound for Chandpur, rued, “I have been waiting at Sadarghat since morning, but there were no launches. Then I came to know about the strike. Now I have to take a bus home. It will cost me a lot, forget the ordeal.” Hasan, a college student who had come to Dhaka to meet his brother a few days ago, could not return to Chandpur. “I did not know about the strike. Had I known, I could have taken a bus,” he complained. Ali Hossian, a passenger bound for Patuakhali, grumbled, “I have been waiting here for four hours in the hope of getting a launch. But now I have lost my patience. As I have to reach home for an emergency, I will go by bus.” Shahida, who had come to Dhaka for her six-year-old son’s medical treatment five days ago, could not return home yesterday. “I don’t know how I will reach Barisal. I will have to wait until tomorrow or maybe take a bus,” she said. These people were not alone in their ordeal. Thousands of others shared their plight.