People are suffering immeasurably, especially those stranded with family members at different places, as inland water transport workers enforced indefinite countrywide strike from early Tuesday.
Bangladesh Water Transport Workers’ Federation, however, suspended their strike around 18 hours after enforcing it across the country, to press home their 11-point demand, including increasing salary, providing appointment letter, and identity card, and landing pass for India bound workers.
Passengers of Dhaka-Chandpur route, which leaves the terminal during the day, suffered the most due to the strike, said Sadarghat police station Officer-in-Charge Md Rezaul Karim Bhuiyan.
Sufferings of Passengers started to ease from the evening, after the agitating workers decided to keep passenger vessels out of the purview of the strike.
They decided to allow plying of all types of passenger vessels, considering the country's present situation, and the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha, said Bangladesh Shipping Workers’ Federation Office Secretary Prakash Dutta.
After a meeting with the director general of the Department of Shipping, the strikers withdrew the strike after being assured that their demands would be met by August 30.
Chowdhury Ashiqul Alam, the secretary general of Bangladesh Naujan Sramik Federation told Dhaka Tribune: “Considering nationwide flood, upcoming Eid, absence of State Minister of Labour and Employment Monnujan Sufian, we have decided to postpone the strike."
“Passenger launches resumed operations on 43 river routes this evening (Wednesday),” he said.
On July 20, Bangladesh Water Transport Workers' Federation announced the strike.
During the strike no passenger and cargo carriers operated on any inland water routes. As a result, cargo handling remained stagnant at Chittagong, and Mongla sea ports, causing losses to exporters, and importers.
In Chittagong, some 352 vessels loaded with around 4,94,155 tons of different types of goods remained stranded all day on Wednesday at different jetties of the port city.
The unloading operations were halted due to the work abstention, said Ataul Kabir Ranju, joint secretary of Water Transport Cell (WTC).
The unloading from mother vessels anchored at the outer anchorage of Chittagong Port faced a huge loss due to the strike, said Mahbub Chowdhury, Vice-President of Chittagong Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce & Industries.
"The port will face container and vessel congestion, and the economy will have to bear the brunt if the deadlock continues," Nabi Alam, Joint Secretary of Bangladesh Water Transport Workers' Federation said.
In Khulna, around 1200 carrier vessels at Bhairab, Rupsa, Kajibacha, Shalta, Pashur, Shivasa, and Shakbaria rivers remained stranded due to the strike.
No launches left the BIWTA jetty, as well as no ferries plied on the rivers since on Wednesday morning, causing huge sufferings to the commuters.
In Barisal, no vessel, including good-laden ones, operated on some 18 routes in the southern parts of the country, since the morning, due to the strike, said Hashem Ali, Barisal unit president of Bangladesh Noonan Sramik Federation.
Anwar Hussain, Chittagong, Hedait Hossain Mollah, Khulna and Abid Azad, Barisal