The Chattogram Port has been virtually paralysed for the third day due to the strike by workers and employees protesting the decision to lease the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) to foreign operators. On Monday (February 2), at around 11:30 am, workers of private berth operators were seen returning to work at the port gates.
The program has brought the delivery of imported goods, container movements and movement of goods within the port to a standstill. This has created a deadlock in the overall operations of the port. However, the unloading of goods from large ships to small ships at the outer anchorage is normal.
A visit to the Saltgola area from the Barik Building showed that although the port gates are open, no vehicles are entering or leaving. Many security personnel and police members were seen spending their time idly.
Md., Coordinator of the Port Protection Movement Council, Ibrahim Khokon said that the movement is going on as per the previously announced program. Due to the ban by the CMP, no processions or gatherings were held in the port area.
Concerns are growing among port users as operations have been suspended for eight hours every day for three consecutive days.
On the way out of the port at Gate No. 3, I spoke to Abul Fazal, a worker of a private berth operator. He said, "We have not been able to do any work for the past three days. I am returning to work this morning. The port workers are not taking bookings. No load is being unloaded. So I am returning."
He said that regular port workers get paid even if they do not work. We private workers do not get paid if we do not work. We are in trouble due to the movement of port workers.
Abul Kashem, a paan seller at Gate No. 3, said that we sell 1,800 to 2,000 taka every day. We have sold 250 to 350 taka for the past two days due to the workers' movement at the port. Now it is becoming difficult to run the family. Because we bring food every day.
Earlier, the port workers and employees went on strike from 8 am to 4 pm on January 31 to protest the decision to lease the NCT operation to Dubai's DP World and from 8 am to 4 pm on February 1. As announced, the port workers are also on strike from 8 am today (Monday). This has created a deadlock in port operations. Unloading of goods is also stopped. Importers are not able to release goods from the port during this time.
Meanwhile, the Chittagong Port Authority has started taking legal action against the officials and employees who are disrupting the port's operations in the name of the movement. In the last 3 days, 16 employees involved in the movement have been transferred to various port facilities outside Dhaka and Chattogram.
