DHAKA, 17 October 2005 — Normal work resumed at Bangladesh’s main seaport as laborers returned to work yesterday, sources said.
Laborers and cargo vessel owners returned to work yesterday, ending a two-day strike that had paralyzed operations at Chittagong port seaport.
Strikers reached agreement with the port authorities late Saturday, union leader Shahadat Hossain said. “Everything is normal here, we are working today,” he said.
The strike was called Friday to protest against a delay of more than eight months in unloading 26,500 tons of wheat imported from India. Port laborers were claiming compensation for lost work over the last eight months.
Some 24 small cargo vessels have been prevented since February from unloading their cargo at the dock by customs authorities who said the wheat had spoiled.
Under the new agreement, the boats will be allowed to unload the wheat, which will then be stored at a warehouse until tests determine whether it is safe to eat, Hossain said.
Authorities have also agreed to discuss compensation claims made by port employees who said they had lost work over the last eight months, he said.
Strikes are common at Chittagong port, which processes about 75 percent of Bangladesh’s sea cargo.
The London-based International Maritime Bureau, which monitors seaports, identified Chittagong as “the world’s second most risky port for doing business” because of rampant corruption.
