New Transport Law: Tangail bus staff go on wildcat strike
Transport workers in Tangail began a bus strike Thursday morning without any warning, demanding cancellation of the draft Road Transport Act-2017 approved by the cabinet on Monday.
Plying of buses and minibuses to Dhaka, Mymensingh, Jamalpur and different northern districts from Tangail remain suspended under their strike.
Bus services on domestic routes were also suspended causing untold sufferings to local passengers.
According to Tangail Bus-Coach Owners Association, around 1,000 buses and minibuses remain stranded in the district out of which about 700 to 800 vehicles are supposed to ply on different routes including that to the capital.
Abdul Mazid, a local resident, said he has urgent work in Dhaka but was not able to find any direct buses to the capital.
“Now I am going to the Dhaka-Tangail Highway to try and board a Dhaka-bound bus coming from other northern districts,” he said.
Trader Mohammad Al Amin of Delduar said he and his family meant to travel to Dhaka but was unable to find any transport.
“The transport workers cannot enforce a strike without any previous notice. They should consider the sufferings of commuters,” he lamented.
Mir Lutfar Rahman Laiju, general secretary of Tangail district bus-coach workers union, said though the workers union has taken no steps against the tougher laws drafted by the government for the transport workers; general transport workers were handing over the keys of buses to their owners.
“The drivers and helpers told us that they will not drive buses in face of prospective life term imprisonment or death penalty. Besides, they also do not accept that all drivers need to complete class eight in order to qualify for driving licenses,” he said.
“We are trying to manage the angry transport workers. The workers federation will take steps to discuss the matter with the government,” he added.
The transport workers' leader urged the prime minister to reconsider the draft laws and only finalise it after making changes in several sections and also to keep it on the same lines with similar laws in neighbouring countries.
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