Ctg port activities resume as employees postpone strike till Feb 15

Operations at Chattogram Port resumed this morning after protesting employees postponed their indefinite strike until February 15.

Leaders of the Chattogram Bandar Rokkha Sangram Parishad announced the decision following a late-night meeting, saying the strike—scheduled to begin at 8:00am today—had been deferred.

Loading and unloading of cargo and containers at all jetties of the port’s three terminals resumed this morning, along with cargo handling activities at the port’s outer anchorage.

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Indefinite strike disrupts operations at Chattogram port

Fazley Ekram Chowdhury, president of the Berth Operators, Ship-Handling Operators and Terminal Operators Owners Association, said cargo and container handling at all eight vessels at the jetties under the General Cargo Berth (GCB) resumed as workers and staff joined the morning shift starting at 8:00am.

Ship-handling operators also confirmed that cargo delivery from mother vessels to lighter vessels at the outer anchorage has gradually started to resume.

Uncertainty shrouded the withdrawal of the strike last night, even after BIDA Chairman Ashik Chowdhury and Shipping Adviser Sakhawat Hossain, in separate programmes in Dhaka, indicated that the signing of the NCT deal with DP World was unlikely within the tenure of the interim government.

This followed a day-long series of punitive actions by the shipping ministry and the Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) against 15 CPA employees who had been leading the movement for a long time.

The 15 employees were earlier transferred twice—first to Dhaka ICD and Pangaon, and then to Mongla and Payra—last week.

Their transfer orders were put on hold through a ministry order on February 5 following assurances from the shipping adviser, but another ministry order issued yesterday cancelled the earlier stay order.

The CPA yesterday cancelled the house allotments of the 15 employees and, later in the evening, issued orders temporarily suspending them, including two key coordinators of the Sangram Parishad.

Five CPA employees were also detained by police yesterday, while filing of cases against them was underway.

Amid these developments, the Parishad leaders held a meeting.

After the meeting, Parishad Coordinator Md Ibrahim Khokan told The Daily Star at around 12:30am that despite the punitive actions, they were postponing the strike considering the upcoming February 12 national election and the smooth release of imported Ramadan cargo.

If their other demands, including the withdrawal of punitive actions, are not met, fresh programmes will be announced on February 15, he said.

Chattogram Bandar Rokkha Sangram Parishad earlier observed an eight-hour work abstention for three days since January 31 and then enforced indefinite work stoppage for three days till February 5 on four-point demands, including cancellation of NCT deal move, and withdrawal of the transfer order of the 15 employees.