Editorial
Water transport workers' strike called off
Passengers' plight at an end
Bangladesh Noujan Sramik Federation (BNSF), the apex platform of six organisations representing inland water transport workers has been enforcing a nationwide strike since January 09 to press home their demands for better pay. So, for the last few days, passengers have been bereft of launch services throughout the country. It is astonishing to note that the authorities have taken so long to bring the various parties including launch owners and the BNSF to the negotiating table.
When we learn that two concerned ministries, i.e. shipping on the one side and labour and employment on the other have been trading letters to one another to take the initiative, we are at a loss. Granted workers have a legitimate claim to higher wages. Again launch owners may have reservations about the magnitude of increase in wages being demanded. At the end of the day it is the responsibility of authorities to tackle these contending issues by bringing the parties involved to the negotiating table to thrash out a workable solution. Approximately 55 launches leave Dhaka for the south-western districts on 36 routes carrying thousands of passengers on a daily basis. Thanks to the strike, this number has dwindled down to about 10 as of January 10. This situation has left thousands of would-be passengers in dire straits in the middle of one of the coldest winters in 40 years of recorded history.
We are happy to note that that transport workers have withdrawn their indefinite strike after receiving assurance of a wage hike of 20%. The deal overseen by the shipping ministry and BIWTA authorities could have been struck earlier had there been better coordination at government level. What ought to be noted that wages was one of several demands of transport workers. Many other issues that remain unaddressed include security on waterways, maintaining navigability on rivers, proper fitness of vessels. Unless BIWTA addresses these areas of concern, there remains the possibility of future strikes something not worth looking forward to either from the perspective of passengers or those who have made the inland maritime sector their profession or business.
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