Hundreds of port workers launched a mass hunger strike on Saturday to protest the interim government’s decision to lease out Bangladesh’s main commercial seaport in Chattogram to foreign operators. The move comes amid a volatile political climate ahead of national elections scheduled for February.
“The decision has been taken against the national interest. This decision will not be accepted under any circumstances,” declared Anwar Hossain, leader of the Sramik Karmachari Oikya Parishad (SKOP), an umbrella body of workers’ unions, while addressing demonstrators at the port city.
The token hunger strike — joined by labour leaders, political activists, and civic groups — follows a month of ongoing protests against the interim government led by Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus. The unrest centres on Yunus’s plan to lease the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) to UAE-based global operator DP World.
Workers argued that the NCT, a key facility at Bangladesh’s largest trade gateway, was developed with domestic resources and cutting-edge technology, and has become “the most efficient and profitable terminal” in the country.
Bangladesh, the world’s second-largest garment exporter, depends on Chattogram port for over 90 per cent of its maritime trade, including nearly all container traffic.
Yunus Government’s Port Strategy Faces Backlash
After coming to power last year following violent protests that ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Yunus defended his administration’s plan, saying the port must be managed by “the best operator in the world.”
Security analysts and opposition leaders have since raised concerns that handing over strategic maritime assets to foreign firms could compromise Bangladesh’s sovereignty.
Yunus, however, dismissed the criticism, asserting in a June address:
“The people we are bringing in to manage the port have not threatened the sovereignty or national security of any country they’ve worked in. I urge citizens not to fall prey to baseless propaganda.”
He has also argued that better-managed ports could transform Bangladesh into a regional logistics hub and deepen economic ties with Nepal, Bhutan, and India’s northeastern states.
Foreign Interest and Upcoming Agreements
According to the state-run BSS news agency, DP World has formally expressed interest in operating the New Mooring Container Terminal, while AP Moller–Maersk has shown interest in managing the Laldia Container Terminal on the city’s outskirts.
Shipping Ministry Senior Secretary Mohammed Yousuf said agreements with foreign operators are expected to be signed by December. He added that two additional facilities — Laldia in Chattogram and Pangaon Inland Port in Dhaka — are also slated for leasing under 25–30 year contracts.
Labour Unions Warn of Escalation
At Saturday’s rally, SKOP leader and former Chattogram port general secretary Kazi Sheikh Nurullah Bahar said the government must protect public assets instead of “leasing or selling them off.”
He urged the interim administration to withdraw the decision and ensure a “free and fair transfer of power” through the upcoming polls.
Defying police restrictions on gatherings, workers vowed to intensify their agitation if the government proceeds with the lease. “The hunger strike is just the beginning,” warned Hossain. “If the decision is not reversed, we will go for nationwide work stoppages and blockade of port operations.”
The Bangladesh Ocean Going Ship Owners’ Association (BOGSOA) also criticized the plan. Its chairman, Azam J. Chowdhury, earlier said: “It makes no sense to lease the terminals that we developed and have successfully operated for four decades.”
As tensions mount, the leasing of Chattogram’s terminals — once envisioned as a step toward modernization — has become a flashpoint in Bangladesh’s turbulent political transition.
