The disruption of operational activities at the Chattogram port for the second consecutive day on Sunday raised concerns among businesses over export delays, transport paralysis and losses across the supply chain, as port workers maintained their work stoppage, protesting at the government’s move of leasing the New Mooring Container Terminal to a foreign operator.
Salim Rahman, first vice-president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association and managing director of KDS Garment Industries Ltd, said that the Chattogram port was the lifeline of the country’s economy and that the business sector faced losses due to suspension of operations at the port for the past two days.
He said that shipments of export products, especially garments, were fully dependent on time as buyers dealt with seasonal products and delays could make products lose value if they failed to reach stores on time.
He said that even an hour’s delay could be significant, while the work stoppage continued for two days. The country was also facing revenue losses and that all stakeholders from transport operators to other linked parties were being affected.
Salim said, ‘We have heard that the work stoppage will continue on Monday (today) as well. If it continues in this way, the country would face major losses.’
He said that businesspeople expected that the government would resolve the issue quickly.
Meanwhile, the Chittagong Port Authority formed a six-member investigation committee to assess revenue losses due to the strike and to identify those responsible. The committee headed by port member (engineering) Commodore Md Mazharul Islam Jewel, was asked to submit its report to the port chairman within five working days.
Earlier, from 8:00am to 4:00pm on Sunday, movement of container- and cargo-carrying vehicles remained suspended inside the port, while workers and employees also kept services halted at multiple desks by displaying work-stoppage notices, according to port and labour sources.
The strike kept cargo handling activities at the port’s key terminals — General Cargo Berth, Chattogram Container Terminal and New Mooring Container Terminal — largely stalled, with container loading and unloading from vessels remaining near halted, while equipment operators also did not report for duty, labour leaders said.
Law enforcement personnel were deployed in the port area amid restrictions imposed by the Chattogram Metropolitan Police to prevent processions, rallies or any untoward incidents. Worker leaders alleged that the port authority and the police were attempting to foil the strike through harassment and repression.
Humayun Kabir, coordinator of Chattogram port Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal, the labour front of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, said that no loading or unloading took place at the jetty and delivery of imported goods remained halted until 4:00pm during the strike period.
He said that the strike was extended for another day as demands remained unmet even after a two-day ultimatum, and that work stoppage would continue from 8:00am to 4:00pm today.
The port authority also transferred four employees to the Pangaon Inland Container Terminal at Keraniganj in Dhaka, with immediate effect. The transferred employees are audit assistant Md Humayun Kabir, engine driver Md Ibrahim Khokon, senior accounts assistant Md Anwarul Azim and SS khalasi Md Faridur Rahman.
Chittagong Port Authority director (administration) Omar Faruk said that the leasing process was being carried out through the government’s Public-Private Partnership Authority and was continuing in line with the PPP guidelines. ‘As of now, we have no information that any contract has been finalised. But even before anything like that happens, the kind of agitation and movement we are seeing is having a significant impact, particularly on normal port operations, commodity prices and other sectors, which we do not think appropriate.’
He, however, said that officials and employees were working round the clock and that deliveries had continued late into Saturday night.
‘Beyond that, the losses we are seeing inside the port due to immediate non-delivery or reduced container delivery are being examined, and we have formed a committee to assess the extent of those losses,’ he said.
Regarding the transfer of the four employees, he said that transfers were a routine administrative process and could be carried out at any time for official and operational reasons.
All operational activities at the Chattogram port had remained suspended from 8:00am to 4:00pm on Saturday, the first day of the strike, as part of the protest demanding cancellation of the process to lease the NCT to UAE-based DP World.
On Saturday, workers had staged a procession and rally inside the port building after which the Chittagong Port Authority issued an office order warning against action against employees participating in the movement.
