Rangpur bus strike continues

Plying of buses on Rangpur-Dhaka route remained suspended for the second consecutive day yesterday, due to the strike of transport workers to press home their five-point demand, which includes disbursement of unpaid salaries.

The workers, including drivers, helpers and supervisors of all bus operators, started the strike without any prior notice on Tuesday morning, which left commuters in a helpless state. The crisis of train tickets was also exacerbated by the strike.

But it is still unclear who actually called the strike, the owners or the transport workers, as different workers are contradicting each other's statements. Some said the owners called it, while others were saying that the workers called it to realise their demands. The owners in Rangpur are yet to give any statement.

During a visit to Rangpur city's Kamarpara area, this correspondent found workers loitering. Many ticket counters remained closed. The workers said they started the strike to realise their demands, which include disbursement of arrears and stopping extortion on highways and harassment by law enforcers.

A meeting between worker leaders and owners is likely to be held today in Dhaka, said Liton Mia, a counter assistant.

MA Majid, general secretary of Bangladesh Transport Workers Federation's Rangpur unit, said the demands are rational, but he was unaware of the strike.