Water transport workers today threatened to go for a countrywide indefinite strike from July 23 if their 21-point demands are not met by this time.

Shah Alam Bhuiyan, president of Bangladesh Noujan Sramik Federation, came up with the announcement from a rally in front of Jatiya Press Club in Dhaka.

Later, they a delegation submitted the memorandum to prime minister to press home their demands.

Their demands include repatriation of eight transport workers, who have been in Indian jail since March 22, and immediate release of eight other workers who were convicted in a case filed for the capsize of MV Koko-4.

Chowdhury Ashiqul Alam, general secretary of the federation, said the eight workers were arrested from near Haldia port in Kolkata, when they went there to buy daily necessaries. A case has been filed against them and they are now in jail, he said.

On April 25, the Marine Court in Dhaka punished Koko company and nine of its staff as it found them guilty of causing MV Koko-4 to capsize that left 81 people killed and many more missing in November 2009. One of them died later.