Strike Over Murder Case Halts Container Movement at Chattogram Port, Bangladesh

September 03: Container movement at the Chattogram port remained suspended for nine hours yesterday as workers associated with articulated lorries went on strike demanding the arrest of a fellow’s killer.

The strike was withdrawn at 2:00pm by the Chattogram Prime Mover-Trailer Sramik Union after police and district administration informed them that the accused had been arrested upon surrendering at a court.

Though no container travelled between the port and the 19 private inland container depots and loading and unloading from ships had been disrupted, there was movement of goods sans containers through trucks and covered vans.

Md Shahjahan Saju, 48, a driver of Tahsin Enterprise, was allegedly shot dead by a foreman, Md Masum, inside a motor garage at the Kalu Shah shrine area in Sitakunda on August 28.

A case was filed with Sitakunda Police Station by the victim’s wife Shahida Akhter accusing Masum.

Md Ruhul Amin Sikder, secretary of the Bangladesh Inland Container Depots Association, said no export container missed shipment for being delivered to the port ahead of the strike.

The strike might create a congestion of containers inside the port yards.

At least 900 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of import-laden containers are transported from the port to the ICDs daily and there were around 5,000 TEUs of such containers there till yesterday morning.

Sikder said with four vessels scheduled to sail out today, they were focused on reaching around 6,000 TEUs of export-laden containers, for which they might hold back for some time on taking out import-laden containers. 

Source: The Daily Star