Water transport workers' strike postponed

Water transport workers postponed their scheduled countrywide indefinite work abstention starting from midnight tonight (July 23) to press home their 21-point demand including the release of their co-workers who are now in jail.

READ MORE: Water Transport: Workers could go on strike on July 23

Shah Alam Bhuiyan, president of Bangladesh Noujan Sramik Federation, told The Daily Star at 10:50pm that they have postponed their programme after they got assurance from the government and launch owners.

“A tri-partite agreement was signed among the federation, government and launch owners at Labour Department. Labour Secretary was present there,” he said.

Earlier at 3:15pm, Chowdhury Ashiqul Alam, general secretary of the federation, said they decided to enforce the work abstention as they did not get any assurance over their 21-point demand.

On July 12, the federation president Shah Alam Bhuiyan threatened to go for the strike if the authorities concerned will not meet their demands by July 23.

The demands include repatriation of eight transport workers, who are in an Indian jail since March 22, and immediate release of eight other workers, who were convicted in a case filed over MV Koko-4 capsize.

Other demands include issuance of appointment letter, identity card and service book for all workers by the owners; an end to the workers’ harassment, prevention of extortion and robbery on waterways.