Sramik Dal calls two-day strike at Chattogram Port over proposed lease of NCT
The strike was announced at a press conference held at the Chattogram Press Club
Chattogram port's Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal and former Collective Bargaining Agent (CBA) have announced a two-day strike protesting the government's move to lease the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) to Dubai-based DP World.
Under the programme, all operational activities at Chattogram port will remain suspended from 8am to 4pm on Saturday (31 January). On Sunday, administrative activities will be shut down during the same hours. Organisers said the next phase of the movement will be announced at 5pm on Sunday.
The strike was announced at a press conference held at the Chattogram Press Club on Thursday morning, following a High Court verdict that dismissed a writ petition challenging the ongoing process of appointing a foreign operator for the New Mooring Container Terminal.
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Speaking at the briefing, Chattogram Port Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal General Secretary Ibrahim Khokon alleged that the government had completed all procedures to hand over the NCT to DP World amid nationwide political unrest.
"The country is going through election-related turmoil. Taking advantage of this situation, the government has finalised the process of handing over Chattogram port's most strategic facility to a foreign company," he said. "We have been protesting this for the last one and a half years, but the government is sacrificing national interests to implement a foreign agenda."
He claimed that leasing the NCT to a foreign operator would pose serious risks to national security and sovereignty, describing the decision as "self-destructive".
Khokon said the strike aims to force the government to cancel the leasing process. "If the authorities proceed with this plan despite the shutdown of port operations on Saturday and administrative activities on Sunday, we will announce tougher programmes," he warned.
