The indefinite strike enforced by goods-carrying river vessel workers across the country continued for the second consecutive day on Wednesday amid the suspension of loading and unloading of goods at different ports and major river terminals.

Huge losses were incurred by businesspeople due to the strike while congestion at Chittagong port area is likely to deepen the crisis.

If the strike continues, the price of goods would increase as the businesspeople and vessel owners have to pay huge demurrage, said  the leaders of shipping agent associations.

Vessel owners pay $10,000-15,000 demurrage due to suspension of activities for a single day at the Chattogram port, they also said.

Congestion at Chattogram port also increased following the strike.

Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Mahbubul Alam on Tuesday sent a letter to the labour minister Begum Munnujan Sufian to take immediate action to solve the crisis.

Around two lakh workers under the banner of Bangladesh Noujan Shramik Federation started the strike from 12:01am on Tuesday to press home their 11-point demand, primarily seeking formalisation of their jobs and implementation of the 2016 pay scale.

The strike continued till filing of this report at 8:00pm on Wednesday.

Movement of all goods-carrying vessels, including oil tankers and sand-carrying bulkheads remained suspended on all inland and India-Bangladesh protocol route on Wednesday while transportation of different construction and raw materials, fertilisers, food grains like rice, other food items like sugar and different imported and exported products has also fallen under the purview of the strike.

Around 43 per cent of goods are carried through the waterways in the country, said the federation president Shah Alam Bhuiyan.

New Age correspondent in Chattogram reports that as per the Chattogram port authority, on the first day of the strike, around 22.5 lakh tonnes of imported goods, including commodities and industrial raw materials, remained stuck at the outer anchorage of the port.

More than 2500 lighter ships, oil tankers, bulkheads have been waiting in areas adjacent to the port and the nearby rivers on the day.

Bangladesh Shipping Agents Association president Ahsanul Haque said that when the mother vessels pass idle time at Chattogram port area, shippers pay $10-15,000 demurrage to the port authorities.

It is not only a waste of foreign currency but also a cause for concern as it creates a negative image of Bangladesh in the maritime world, he argued.

So, he suggested that a quick solution should be sought to end the strike.

Bangladesh Ship Handling and Berth Operators Association chairman AKM Shamsuzzaman Rassel said that if the strike continues, the stay time of cargo vessels at the outer anchorage will increase.

Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Mahbubul Alam said that this strike would exacerbate ship congestion in Chattogram port.

Chattogram Port Authority secretary Omar Faruk said that though the lighter ships had not been engaged carrying goods from outer anchorage, the loading-unloading, container delivery and cargo handling in GCB, CCT, NCT, Dolphin oil Jetty, river mooring and special berth has been going on in full swing.

Nouzan Sramik Federation joint secretary Nobi Alam said that they had no option but to continue their strike. ‘We will not call off the strike until a final decision is taken to fulfil our demands,’ he said.

Bangladesh Lighterage Workers union general secretary Shahadat Hossain also repeated Alam’s words.

Some of their major demands are — identification card and service book for waterways workers, food allowance for all workers, swift implementation of 2016 pay scale, proper appointment system, an end to intimidation, extortion and robbery on the waterways as well as an end to corruption and harassment in enrolment examinations.