Chittagong box handling beset with labour strife, violence

CONTAINER handling in the Bangladesh`s main Port of Chittagong remains stymied as dockers stop work leaving five containerships sitting idle at their berths while others waits at anchor to take their places.

The Kota Rekayet, the Vision, the Hanzing Tamarang and the Kota Rakan have been remained idle for more than three days with more that 2,000 TEU sitting on each dock at berths 12, 9, 10 , 11 and 13.


The Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) called an emergency meeting of the board members in the chairman`s office having failed to persuade the agitating dock workers to restore normality.


CPA secretary Syed Farhad Uddin told Bangladesh`s Financial Express that they were expecting the workers relent. "The labour leaders have asked the workers to join their duty this afternoon, but the agitating workers refused. We are not sure when they will join," Mr Farhad said.


The situation has been aggravated when dockers physically attacked employees at berth No 9, injuring three. As the situation worsened, shipping agents and berth operators met separately to determine a course of action, but there was no positive reports from these efforts.


The injured employee of Fazle & Sons Ltd, newly appointed berth operator has been admitted to Metropolitan Clinic in the city with several cuts on the head while Asgarh and Joynal Abedin was given first aid.


"Two employees of Fazle & Sons went to the berth on collection of delivery charge of the FCL containers at around 9.30am. But dockers rushed them and attacked our people although we did not do cargo handling there," said a Fazle & Sons spokesman.