Water-vessel workers to start countrywide work abstention

Water-vessel workers are set to observe an indefinite, countrywide work abstention from the end of this month to press home their demand for hiking minimum wage.

General workers under the banner of "Noujan Sramik Sangram Parishad" have decided to start the abstention from 12:01am, November 27, if their demands are not met within the day before.

Their demands include minimum monthly wage of Tk 20,000; Tk 10 lakh compensation in case of death on duty, natural or accidental; issuance of "landing pass" for India-bound workers and others.

Khalilur Rahman, convener of the parishad, told The Daily Star that on request of general workers, they took the decision at a meeting in Dhaka on November 15.

Workers under this banner are regularly observing programmes, like bringing out processions and holding rallies, across the country in support of the abstention.

Bangladesh Water Transport Workers Federation, a platform of eight workers' organisations, has already expressed support for the programme.

Md Shah Alam, the federation's president, said after a movement, the government fixed the minimum wage at Tk 7,500 in 2016 for a five-year period. The wage was supposed to be raised in June last year.

Since then, the federation leaders have been raising their voice for a pay hike, but the government and watercraft owners did not pay heed, he said.

"As the workers were planning to start a movement for a pay hike in mid-September this year, we halted it on request of the director general of Department of Labour, who offered to talk about the demand," he mentioned.

The Department of Labour sat with the federation leaders on September 21 and met watercraft owners' leaders on October 13. In the latest meeting, participants decided to form a committee comprising a representative of all stakeholders within October 20 to fix new wages, said the leader.

Since nothing has been done till that date, the workers are unwilling to wait more and want to wage a tough movement, he said.

Alam said as prices of all commodities are rising, the wages need to rise too.

Meanwhile, business leaders expressed concern over the work abstention since it would hurt the already volatile commodity market.

Mahbubul Alam, president of Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said it is illogical to call a strike for the most important logistics sector of the country, when the whole world's economy is volatile.

If the supply chain is slightly disrupted, the commodity market would become unstable, which would ultimately bring sufferings to consumers, he said.

Mentioning that importers and traders are already struggling amidst the volatile situation, the Mahbubul said the workers should not hold everyone hostage.

He urged the government to take initiative to avoid any stalemate in business activities.