Shawdesh Desk:

Bangladesh Naujan Sramik Federation withdrew the work abstention for passenger vessels across the country on Wednesday afternoon but continued the strike for cargo vessels to press home their 11-point demands.

The federation’s general secretary Chowdhury Ashiqul Alam confirmed the news of withdrawing the strike for passenger vessels in the evening.

Discussion was ongoing with government agencies and vessel owners about work abstention on cargo vessels, he added.

The workers went on a wildcat strike for indefinite period strike midnight past Wednesday with their main demand for food allowance for all waterways workers.

Earlier on July 20, the federation announced that if their demands were not met by July 23, they would enforce countrywide work abstention programmes.

Their 11-point demands include — initiatives to end intimidation, extortion and piracy on the waterways, full implementation of 2016 pay scale, adaptation of an appointment system, providing identity cards and service books to water transport workers, stopping corruption and harassment in enrolment examinations, distribution and renewal process of certificates of masters and other workers, Tk 10 lakh as compensation for the families of the workers, in case they die at the workplace or in an accident, and providing landing passes and stopping harassment of India-bound workers.

They also demanded re-fixing of technical allowances, sea allowances for workers working at Chattogram, Mongla and Payra ports’ outer parts, social security for the workers and setting up of marks, lights and buoys to ensure safe and protected navigation of waterways.

The leaders alleged that they were compelled to enforce the strike as the authorities concerned had been dilly-dallying for meeting their 11-point demands since September 2018.

Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority joint director at Sadarghat ghat Alamgir Kabir told New Age that none of the 15 scheduled launches left Dhaka for their destinations till filling this report around 12:30pm on Wednesday.

However, the launches started from other districts before 12:01am on Wednesday reached Dhaka, he added.