Sacked Mongla workers start indefinite siege

Their 5-pt demand includes reopening of call station

17 August 2009, 17:00 PM

Staff Correspondent, Khulna

Sacked casual dockworkers of Mongla Port stage a sit-in in front of the closed Call Station yesterday. PHOTO: BANGLAR CHOKH

Over a thousand of sacked casual employees of stevedoring agencies began their indefinite siege programme on the Call Station compound of Mongla Port yesterday morning to press home their five-point demand. However, the programme did not affect cargo handling operations as there was no foreign ship at the port yesterday. The five-point demands are reintroduction of call station system, payment of uniform (dress) allowance, death allowance and festival bonus and payment under golden handshakes promised to 741 out of 1,116 employees in 2005 and payment of wages as per conditions laid down in a tripartite agreement. The indefinite siege programme called by sacked employees under the banner of Mongla Port Shipping Workers Union will continue until all their demands are fully met, the agitators said. Sacked employees opened a gruel kitchen on the call station compound. The sacked casual workers of stevedoring agencies lost their jobs with the abolition of Dock Workers' Management Board, call station system and casual worker's booking system from August 1 last year in line with the Labour (amendment) Ordinance-2008. The introduction of Berth Operating System abolishing Dock Workers' Management Board has given sole authority to stevedores to appoint either permanent or casual workers for cargo handling works at the port. Fifty out of 1116 sacked casual employees of stevedoring agencies have died but their arrears were never paid, said Shamsul Alam, president of Mongla port Shipping Worker's Union. Besides, Mongla Port Stevedores' Association is yet to pay nearly Tk 88 lakh to sacked casual workers against their arrears, he said, adding that a case was filed on August 26 last year in Khulna Divisional Labour Court for reintroduction of call station system. He further said that the court in its judgement passed on April 5 this year ordered authorities concerned to reintroduce call station system within 15 days but the court order is yet to be complied with. Asked about the matter, General Secretary of Mongla Port Stevedores Association termed four of the five demands of employees as illogical. They can claim only Eid bonus, he said. He said there is no scope for reintroducing call station system as levies earned by stevedores have greatly declined since 2001. He claimed that Khulna Labour Court ordered only to maintain status quo, not to continue with call station system.