Operations at Chattogram Port have resumed today as protesting workers have delayed their indefinite strike until February 15. The decision to postpone the strike, which was supposed to commence at 8:00 am today, was announced by the leaders of the Chattogram Bandar Rokkha Sangram Parishad after a late-night meeting.
Cargo and container loading and unloading activities at all jetties of the port’s three terminals have restarted this morning, alongside cargo handling operations at the port’s outer anchorage. Fazley Ekram Chowdhury, the president of the Berth Operators, Ship-Handling Operators, and Terminal Operators Owners Association, mentioned that cargo and container handling at all eight vessels at the jetties under the General Cargo Berth (GCB) have resumed with the morning shift starting at 8:00 am.
Ship-handling operators have also confirmed the gradual resumption of cargo delivery from mother vessels to lighter vessels at the outer anchorage. The strike withdrawal last night was clouded in uncertainty, despite indications from BIDA Chairman Ashik Chowdhury and Shipping Adviser Sakhawat Hossain in separate programs in Dhaka that the NCT deal with DP World was unlikely to be signed during the interim government’s tenure.
The decision to postpone the strike came after a series of punitive actions by the shipping ministry and the Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) against 15 CPA employees who had been leading the movement. These employees were previously transferred twice last week, with their transfer orders initially put on hold on February 5 but later cancelled by a ministry order issued yesterday.
The CPA also revoked the house allotments of the 15 employees and temporarily suspended them, including two key coordinators of the Sangram Parishad. Additionally, five CPA employees were detained by police, with ongoing filing of cases against them. Following these developments, the Parishad leaders convened a meeting where they decided to postpone the strike due to the upcoming national election on February 12 and to facilitate the smooth release of imported Ramadan cargo.
If their demands, including the withdrawal of punitive actions, are not addressed, the Parishad leaders stated that they would announce fresh programs on February 15. Previously, the Chattogram Bandar Rokkha Sangram Parishad had organized an eight-hour work abstention for three days starting January 31 and enforced an indefinite work stoppage for three days until February 5, demanding the cancellation of the NCT deal and the withdrawal of the transfer orders for the 15 employees.
