The Chattogram Port Nationalist Labour Party has announced an eight-hour strike on 31 January to protest the government’s decision to lease the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) of Chattogram port to Dubai-based DP World.
Current and former leaders of the port’s Collective Bargaining Agent (CBA) jointly announced the programme at around 8:30pm on Wednesday.
The strike will be observed from 8am to 4pm on Saturday, during which an estimated 10,000 port workers and employees will refrain from work, said labour party leader Humayun Kabir.
In a joint statement, party leader Ibrahim Khokon and a former CBA leader Humayun Kabir said all operational activities at Chattogram port would be affected during the strike hours.
Describing the NCT as a strategic and significant facility, they argued that leasing it to a foreign company runs contrary to national interests and could undermine sovereign control of the port.
The leaders maintained that the port’s development and management can be handled with domestic expertise.
They said the strike would be peaceful and aimed at urging the government to reconsider its decision. The labour leaders also warned of tougher programmes from February 1 if their demands are not met.
Meanwhile, the proposed agreement between the Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) and DP World remains entangled in legal proceedings. A writ petition challenging the legality of transferring NCT operations to a foreign operator is pending before the High Court.
On December 4, 2025, a division bench delivered a split verdict on an earlier rule. Following that decision, a new bench was constituted on 17 December and Justice Zafar Ahmed heard the writ on 18 December.
The verdict is scheduled to be delivered on 29 January, according to Barrister Anwar Hossain, counsel for the petitioner Mirza Walid Hossain, president of the Bangladesh Young Economists Forum.
The CPA had earlier planned to sign a 22-year concession agreement with DP World by 15 December as part of a broader initiative to boost efficiency and attract foreign expertise.
However, the move was challenged in court by Mirza Walid Hossain, who questioned the legality of handing over management of a strategic national asset to a foreign operator.
Despite the legal hurdles, a source close to the port said the CPA is now planning to sign the agreement in February.
Since 2007, the NCT has been operated under the Direct Procurement Method by domestic firm Saif Powertech. After its contract expired on 7 July last year, the CPA handed over interim operations to Chattogram Dry Dock Limited (CDDL), operated by Bangladesh Navy.
Although the six-month interim period ended on 6 January, CDDL is currently continuing operations at the terminal.
