Fertilizer store workers on strike

Labourers of Gaibandha fertilizer buffer stock warehouse started an indefinite strike from Wednesday protesting an officer's alleged involvement in irregularities.

Due to the strike, they stopped loading and unloading fertilizer on the warehouse premises, so a huge number of fertilizer loaded trucks remained stranded there.

The labour leaders said warehouse officer Ashok Kumar Chowdhury most of the time allegedly stopped loading and unloading of fertilizer from the warehouse. Instead, he diverted all the fertilizer loaded trucks directly to the dealers' shops, depriving them from getting fair wages.

The labourers refused to load and unload fertilizer on the warehouse premises until the matter is resolved.

Gaibandha fertilizer buffer stock sources said 58 thousand tonnes of urea fertilizer are required for the district round the year. The fertilizer is brought from Shylhet, Chittagong and Bagabari and then unloaded at different warehouses in Gaibandha municipality area. As many as 111 dealers of the district lifted the fertilizer from the warehouses as per requirement.

Labourers said over 60 labourers are engaged in loading and unloading fertilizer at the warehouse compound, but the warehouse officer has been diverting all the fertilizer loaded trucks directly to the dealer's business units, depriving labourers from getting wages for the last one year.

Ashok Kumar said they sometimes diverted loaded trucks to dealers' shops directly during emergency, but the labourers get their wages as per rate.