TDS Desk:

Workers and employees at Chattogram Port have called an indefinite strike from 8am tomorrow (8 February), after a two-day pause, escalating protests over the government’s move to lease out the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) to the UAE-based DP World.

The programme was announced this afternoon (7 February) by the Chattogram Bandar Rokkha Sangram Parishad, which is pressing four demands, chief among them a clear government declaration that the NCT will not be leased to DP World.

Other demands include withdrawal of all disciplinary actions taken against protesting workers, assurance that no legal action will be pursued against them, and the removal of the port chairman.

The strike was announced at a press conference at the Chattogram Press Club, where council leader Humayun Kabir read out a written statement.

Announcing the programme, coordinator Ibrahim Khokon said the shipping adviser had assured the protesters during a meeting on Thursday (5 February) that their demands would be addressed, but no steps had been taken.

“Instead of resolving the crisis, the port chairman is creating instability to derail the upcoming election,” Khokon said. “He must be removed and questioned under the law.”

Council leaders also said that while operations at the port’s outer anchorage had so far remained outside the scope of the work stoppage, work there would also remain suspended from tomorrow under the indefinite strike.

The fresh strike follows six consecutive days of work abstention by port workers last week in protest against the decision to hand over NCT operations to DP World. The stoppage had brought import and export cargo handling to a halt.

After a meeting with Shipping Adviser M Sakhawat Hussain on Thursday afternoon, the council announced a two-day suspension of the work stoppage.

However, within hours of that meeting, the port authority sent letters to different government offices seeking probes into corruption allegations against protest leaders and imposing travel bans on them, according to labour leaders.

Amid resistance by the protesters, operations at the port’s three key facilities – the New Mooring Container Terminal, Chittagong Container Terminal (CCT) and the General Cargo Berth (GCB) – have remained completely shut since Tuesday (3 February).

Workers began their movement on 31 January, initially observing eight-hour work stoppages for the first three days before switching to an indefinite programme on Tuesday.

Chattogram Port handles about 91% of the country’s total exports.

With operations disrupted for six straight days, concerns are growing over heavy losses in the export sector.

Port users and business leaders have also warned that prolonged disruption could affect the supply of imported goods ahead of Ramadan, increasing pressure at the consumer level.

In an attempt to defuse the crisis, Shipping Adviser Sakhawat visited the port on Thursday.

At around 10:40am, he faced angry protests from workers as he got down from his vehicle near Gate No 4 of the port complex.

Later, he held a meeting with labour leaders at Bandar Bhaban in the afternoon.

Following the meeting, workers suspended their work stoppage for two days.