SKOP meet in Ctg today signals tougher stance on port leases
Union leaders say strikes, blockades and wider action are on the table if lease moves go ahead
A major labour convention in Chattogram is set to put pressure on the government over recent port lease deals, with union leaders signalling they may call for tougher programmes if their demands are ignored.
The Chattogram divisional convention of Sramik Karmachari Oikya Parishad (SKOP) will be held today from 10am to 2pm at the July Revolution Hall of the Chattogram Press Club.
The key flashpoint is the lease agreements involving the Laldia and Pangaon terminals, along with what union leaders describe as attempts to hand over the New Mooring Container Terminal and parts of Chattogram Port to foreign companies.
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They argue that outsourcing control of strategic ports threatens worker security, national interest, and long-term economic sovereignty.
Leaders say the time has come for a stronger pushback. Several of them have hinted that strikes, blockades, and wider industrial action are on the table if the government proceeds with any foreign or private leasing arrangements.
The goal, they say, is to build a broader movement that brings all segments of the port workforce into the fold.
The convention will also take up long-standing concerns that extend beyond the immediate dispute. These include legal recognition for all workers, creation of a national labour database, a permanent labour commission to set fair wages, social protection, safer workplaces, and greater worker participation in policymaking.
Delegates are expected to outline how SKOP's nine-point demands and the Labour Reform Commission's proposals can be implemented.
Kazi Sheikh Nurullah Bahar, general secretary of the Chattogram divisional unit of Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal, will preside over the event.
The chair of the Labour Reform Commission, Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed, will attend as the chief guest. Senior SKOP leaders, including Abdul Qader Hawlader, Mezbaha Uddin Ahmed, Anwar Hossain, Saifuzzaman Badsha, Tapan Dutta, Ahsan Habib Bulbul, AAM Fayez Hossain and Manjurul Islam Manju, are also scheduled to join.
