Mongla river transport workers threaten strike
River transport workers at Mongla port yesterday threatened indefinite strike from today if their demand for increase in food allowance to Tk 100 from Tk 30 is not met.
Abul Kashem Master, president of River Transport Workers' Federation, said some 750 people are engaged in about 250 cargo vessels and coasters that carried goods and commodities to and from adjacent Indian river ports.
Tk 30 given to workers per day as food allowance is quite inadequate. This should be raised to Tk 100, he said.
Port sources said 250 shipments per month on an average, mainly from Indian ports, included raw materials for cement and rice. Hardly anything goes from Bangladesh. Most of the government imported five lakh tons of rice from India came in cargo vessels to the Mongla port.
Cargo vessel owners turned down the demand for raising the food allowance.
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