A faction of the lighter vessel workers, who initiated indefinite strike on Saturday, postponed their strike yesterday night.
However, loading and unloading activities at Chittagong port remained suspended partially as many workers had not join their work.
The lighter vessel workers enforced the indefinite strike around 11:00am on Saturday following a robbery in a lighter vessel named Karnaphuli-5 in Laksmipur.
Since then, they have not taken part in any activities of loading and unloading of goods at the outer anchorage of the Chittagong Port and other water routes across the country.
Shahadat Hossain, general secretary of a faction of the Lighterage Shramik Union, said they had postponed the strike until 18 November following assurance to implement their demands at meeting with the Deputy Inspector General of Police Shafiqul Islam.
However, Shah Alam, acting president of the Nawjan Shramik Federation, said: “The meeting will put no impact on the strike and it will be continued till fulfillment of our demand to ensure security on the river route,”
“Because, actual representatives of the lighter vessel workers are not present at the meeting,” he added.
Meanwhile, Shipping Minister Shahajahan Khan at a programme at the Chittagong port said the police and Coast Guard would continue patrolling the country’s river routes to ensure security of the vessels and the crewmen.
According sources at the Water Transport Cell, 100 lighter vessels have remained stranded at 16 private jetties with goods in Chittagong, and 500 other vessels in different routes across the country.
Sources at the Chittagong Port said 21 foreign vessels were waiting at the outer anchorage of the port with goods due to the strike of the workers.
