Bangladeshi goods transporters have withdrawn the strike after enforcing it for 88 hours as the government assured them of meeting their demands.
After a meeting with Bangladesh’s home minister Asaduzzaman Khan at his office, the truck owners and workers on Monday night announced that they are going back to work.
The meeting has decided that the government would not lower the diesel price as it was hiked following price spiral in the global market. Rather, the minister will sit with the truck users so that truck owners can get higher rent.
The minister will also write to the city corporation mayors not to collect tolls from truckers in city corporation areas.
Besides, the government already suspended a notice for raising toll rate at two river bridges which the truckers said came as an extra burden on them at the time when diesel price is also hiked.
“The discussion was fruitful. The government has agreed to readjust truck fare keeping in mind the diesel price hike,” commented Osman Ali, general secretary of Bangladesh Road Transport Workers Federation.
After the announcement, the truckers went back to work giving lifeline to supply chain which faced severe disruption from Friday morning.
Port officials said from Monday night the truckers have started to bring containers from off docks for shipment. At the same time, truckers also queued at the port gate to take delivery of imported containers.
Ruhul Amin Sikder (Biplob), secretary, Bangladesh Inland Container Depots Association (BICDA), said work has started in 19 off docks as truckers called off the strike.
Until Monday, over 10,000TEU goods laden export containers remained stuck at the off docks. Three vessels left behind 1,350 boxes as those could not go to the port yards in time.
Nearly 39,000 TEU boxes are now lying at the port yards and 10 containers vessels were waiting at the port’s outer anchorage for berthing.
Sharar Nayel
Bangladesh Correspondent
