The process of cancelling the lease of Patenga Charpara ghat has started and the lighterage workers have called off the strike with the assurance of not taking money from the lighterage workers at the Ghat.
The strike was announced in a meeting of local parliamentarians, port chairman, leaders of the Lighterage Workers Union, Lighterage Workers Federation and Contractors Association at Bandar Bhawan on Friday evening.
Chattogram Port Authority Secretary Md. Omar Farooq confirmed the matter.
He said, in the meeting held at the port building, it was announced to withdraw the strike of the Lighterage workers. They decided to call off the strike as the Lighterage ship workers were assured to start the process of implementing their demands related to the wharf.
Earlier, the lighter workers stopped unloading goods from large ships at the outer anchorage of Chattogram port from 6 am and loading and unloading goods at 16 Ghats of Karnaphuli, demanding 5 points.
Bangladesh Lighter Workers' Unions said that the lighter workers have observed 5-point demands with cancelled the lease of Patenga Charpara ghat, withdrawing the port chairman and the OC of Patenga police station.
Charpara Ghat on the north side of Patenga Sea Beach has been leased by the Port Authority. The lighter workers were forced to move to Char area of Anwara Parki. But there the workers used the Chinese wharf to get off the ship and do the daily market.
Open goods such as wheat, rice, pulses, chickpeas, sugar, oil, clinker etc. from abroad are brought at outer anchorage in big ships.
Lighterage ships take these products to various warehouses, ghats, depots, industrial factories from there. Unloading and transportation of open goods was virtually stopped throughout the day due to the strike of lighter ship workers.
