Shippers are facing more upheaval at Chittagong Port – transport operators began a 48-hour strike this morning, leaving export and import containers stranded.
The Chittagong District Prime Move Trailer Workers Union’s action will impact 3,000 to 4,000 teu every day at the port
Secretary general of the Bangladesh Inland Container Depots Association (BICDA) Ruhul Amin Sikder said: “If the strike continues, shipment of boxes would not be possible in time. Many containers will miss designated feeder and mother vessels.”
Union president Selim Khan pointed the finger of blame squarely at two of the largest transport operators in the region, Mohammadia Enterprise and Asif International, claiming they had reneged on multiple aspects of an agreement signed in April.
Mr Khan said the operators had not only failed ensure the provision of appointment letters and identity cards, but had yet to meet government-imposed minimum wage requirements.
He explained: “In April the workers union and the company owners signed a deal to implement these demands within 45 days, but the owners are yet to implement these, thus we enforced the strike, and won’t withdraw the strike until a fruitful discussion takes place.
“Many prime mover trailer company owners have implemented these lawful demands, but those who are members of the owners’ association are dilly-dallying to implement the demands.”
Meanwhile, the legality of the strike has been questioned by the general secretary of the Bangladesh Covered Van-Truck-Prime Mover Goods Transport Owners Association, Chowdhury Zafar Ahmed.
He claimed: “There is no mention of appointment letters for goods transport drivers in the Road Transport Act 2018. The union members are enforcing the strike illegally.”
He added that, as a consequence, some 117 prime movers had been out of action since 6 October.