Port workers and employees staged a protest rally at Chattogram Port on Thursday, demanding cancellation of the concession agreement with Dubai-based DP World to operate the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) and guarantees for their job security.
They warned that they would intensify their movement, including observing a hunger strike, if the authorities failed to create an opportunity for discussions on job security by Sunday.
The rally, organised by the Port Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal and the Port Raksha Sangram Parishad, was held in front of the main gate of the Chattogram Port Authority building around 3:30pm.
The protest came as the NCT concession agreement with DP World was being signed in Dhaka at 3pm on Thursday.
Humayun Kabir, coordinator of the Port Raksha Sangram Parishad, said workers had been opposing the agreement for the past two years.
“For two years, we have presented arguments against this agreement. Now, it is no longer about arguments; our primary demand is job security for the workers and employees,” he said.
“If an environment for discussion is not established by next Sunday, a hunger strike will be observed on Monday,” he added.
Kazi Sheikh Nurullah Bahar, divisional general secretary of the Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal, said port workers and employees would not accept any decision taken without consulting them.
“Our movement is not against the government. This movement aims to free the government from the influence of those who are misleading it into proceeding with this agreement,” he said.
Ibrahim Khokon, coordinator of the Port Raksha Sangram Parishad, said the port’s existing workforce had the capacity to operate Chattogram Port.
“Handing over responsibility to a foreign operator involves not just revenue concerns but also the risk of losing domestic expertise and operational capacity in the long run,” he said.
The concession agreement for the operation and maintenance of the NCT was signed between the Chattogram Port Authority and DP World on Thursday at the Invest Bangladesh auditorium in Dhaka.
Former CPB president Shah Alam, CPB Chattogram district president Ashok Saha and Port Workers’ Party General Secretary Taslim Hossain Selim, along with leaders of different labour organisations, attended the protest rally.
