Commuters suffer as Kushtia bus workers go on strike

Bus workers enforced an indefinite strike on short-distance routes in Kushtia this morning (17 April) to press home a two-point demand, causing suffering for passengers.

Bus services on all short-distance routes from the district have remained suspended since 5am, forcing passengers to rely on alternative modes of transport and pay higher fares to reach their destinations.

Services on the Kushtia-Meherpur and Kushtia-Pragpur routes have been halted. Buses on several other routes, including Kushtia-Khulna-Jashore, Kushtia-Rajbari, Kushtia-Barishal, Kushtia-Rajshahi, and Kushtia-Pabna-Sirajganj, have also remained off the road.

However, long-distance buses to Dhaka are operating as usual.

Earlier, the Kushtia District Motor Workers Union announced the strike yesterday evening (16 April).

The union's president, Mahabul Haque, said both bus and minibus owners' and workers' associations operate vehicles on the Kushtia-Khulna-Jashore route, but the workers' association was not receiving certain facilities.

He said meetings were held with the owners' group over two demands and an ultimatum was issued to meet them by 15 April.

The demands include ensuring equal facilities for workers as enjoyed by owners in the transport sector and allowing a bus operated under the workers' association to run on the Kushtia–-Khulna route.

As the demands went unmet, bus and minibus operations were halted indefinitely from this morning, Mahabul said, adding that workers of buses from the owners' association also joined the strike.

Around 10:30am, Kushtia District Bus-Minibus Owners' Group General Secretary Rafiqul Islam said transport workers had placed the demands a week earlier.

He said that as the demands were not met, bus operations on all routes were suspended from this morning.