Truck, covered van owners-workers call off strike

The owners and workers of truck and covered-van have withdrawn their indefinite work abstention across the country following assurance by Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan to fulfill their some demands.

They made the decision following a meeting between the leaders of Bangladesh Truck, Covered-van Goods Transport Owners-Workers Unity Council and the home minister at his residence tonight, convener of the council Rustam Ali Khan told The Daily Star.

“We have called off our work abstention as the home minister gave us assurance of fulfilling some demands. He told us that the government will review some sections of the Road Transport Act-2018,” added Rustam Ali Khan after the meeting.

The minister sat with the transport leaders at his Dhanmondi residence around 9:30 pm tonight as the platform started a countrywide indefinite strike in the morning to press home their nine-point demand including amendment of new Road Transport Act, Sharif Mahmud Apu, senior information officer at the home ministry, told The Daily Star.

Announcing a work stoppage at its Tejgaon office yesterday, the platform’s convener, Rustam Ali Khan, pressed home their demands.

The same platform had enforced work stoppage, demanding amendments to the law in October last year, about a month after parliament passed the act.

Meanwhile, transport of goods and containers to and from Chattogram port remained halted since this morning due to a countrywide work abstention enforced by the transport workers and owners.

Inter-district Goods Transportation Organisation Truck-Covered Van Owners’ Association (Chattogram) were observing the strike, reports our Chattogram correspondent.

The strike is a part of a countrywide work abstention that was called by a section of truck and covered-van owners and workers after they met the home minister in connection with the new Road-Transport Act 2018 last night which ended inconclusively.

Gate Sergeant Nasir Uddin of the Port Security Department (Ctg port gate 4) said very few vehicles were seen at the port gate today whereas on usual days the line stretches for miles.

No container-laden vehicles were also transported from any of the 17-private off-docks to the Chattogram port.

A group of transport workers also brought out a procession in support of work abstention at Nimtala area of Port connecting road in the city, reports our correspondent.