Water transport workers call off strike

Water transport workers have called off countrywide strike after getting assurance of meeting their demands.

The decision came after a meeting among State Minister for Labor and Employment Begum Monnujan Sufian, the water transport owners, and the workers at Srama Bhaban in capital Dhaka on Monday afternoon.

Monnujan Sufian said a committee was formed to set a minimum wage for the workers within a month and the owners were asked to pay them interim allowance for this one month.

A group in the middle created chaos and carried out attacks in a few places and there have been arrests and cases over the incidents, she said.

"We assured the workers of helping withdraw the lawsuits," she added.

Earlier, Noujan Sramik Sangram Parishad started a strike across the country from Saturday midnight to press home their demands, including an increase in wages.

Water transport leaders said there is a provision for declaring a new wage structure every five years.

Tenure of the last salary structure ended on June 30 last year but the water transport owners' associations did not take it into account, they said.

They went to different places, including the Shipping Ministry, and the Labor Department, seeking measures in this regard but to no avail, they added.

The workers also said they are now leading a miserable life with families amid the commodity prices hike in phases as their wages were not increased.

Their demands include fixing the minimum wage at Tk 20,000, issuing landing passes for the workers going to India, relaxing the ban on the movement of bulkheads at night, and Tk 10 lakh compensation in case of workers' death at workplace or in accident.

NH/SU