Water transport workers call off indefinite strike

Water transport workers tonight called off their countrywide indefinite strike after the owners agreed to fulfil their 15-point demand.
The decision came after a meeting which continued 2:00pm to 10:00pm tonight at the Shipping Ministry.
“We have called off our strike as the owners agreed to fulfil our demands with the interference of the government,” Chowdhury Ashiqul Alam, general secretary of Bangladesh Water Transport Workers Federation (BWTWF) confirmed The Daily Star.
The workers were enforcing the strike since early hours of April 21 to press home their 15-point demand, including a minimum monthly wage of Tk 10,000 for workers and increase in overtime pay, festival bonuses and other benefits.
Later on April 22 night, the workers withdrew its strike for only passenger vessels considering HSC examinees and public sufferings. But strike for cargo vessels was going on across the country.
However, all types of vessels started operating their activities soon after the withdrawal of the strike last night.
Chowdhury Ashiqul Alam said the owners agreed to pay a worker minimum monthly wage Tk 9,000 and to revise the whole salary structure.
The Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan chaired the meeting, while State Minister for Power and Energy Nasrul Hamid, senior officials from Labour and Employment ministry and leaders of different associations of vessel owners and workers were present at the meeting.
Earlier, Aiming at ending the deadlock situation, State minister for Labour and Employment Mujibul Haque on April 23 convened a tripartite meeting at the at the Department of Labour where government officials and leaders of vessel owners and workers associations attended.
But the five-hour long meeting failed as the three parties could not reach a consensus.