Dockers besiege Mongla port office for arrears

4 August 2009, 17:00 PM

Staff Correspondent, Khulna

Dock workers lay siege to the office of Mongla Port Authority to press home their four-point demand including payment of arrears.Photo: STAR

Cargo handling at Mongla port was yesterday disrupted as over 2,000 dock workers laid siege to the office of Mongla Port Authority (MPA) for four hours from 11:30am to press home their four-point demand. The demands are revival of Dock Workers Management Board (DWMB), payment of arrear festival bonus and dress allowance, payment of monthly allowance to the families of dead dockers and introduction of call station system. Later, leaders of Mongla Bandar Sramik Sangha sat in a meeting with Chairman Commodore M Farukh and senior officials of Mongla Port Authority and discussed the demands of the dockers. It was unanimously resolved in the meeting that the port authority would consider payment of arrear festival bonus, dress allowance and allowance to the families of dead dockers. No decision could be reached in the meeting about introduction of call station system and revival of Dock Workers Management Board. “These are the matters related with decision to be taken by the government,” said Mongla UNO Saidur Rahman and Member (finance) of Mongla Port Authority MA Mannan who were present among others in the meeting. Over 3,000 dock workers have been agitating since abolition of Dock workers' Management Board (DWMB) and introduction of berth operating system in August last year. Under berth operating system, stevedores got sole authority to appoint dock workers which was previously done by Dock Workers Management Board (DWMB).