Chattogram Custom House pen-down strike enters 4th day, halts trade operations
Around 7,000 bills are processed daily at the Chattogram Custom House - 2,000 for imports and 5,000 for exports. Due to the strike, all these activities have been halted, said officials
The pen-down strike at Chattogram Custom House entered its fourth consecutive day today (18 May), brought customs clearance of import and export goods to a complete standstill and caused significant disruptions to trade.
The strike, which will run daily from 9am to 3pm, is being observed by officials and staff across all tax regions, VAT, and customs offices nationwide.
They are demanding the repeal of the recently enacted revenue ordinance that dissolved the National Board of Revenue (NBR) and introduced major reforms in the revenue administration.
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Chattogram Custom House spokesperson and Deputy Commissioner Saidul Islam confirmed that the pen strike is continuing as part of the broader protest being carried out across the country, including at the NBR headquarters and all major revenue offices.
According to officials, around 7,000 bills are processed daily at the Chattogram Custom House - 2,000 for imports and 5,000 for exports. Due to the strike, all these activities have been halted, severely affecting the import-export supply chain.
Trade stakeholders expressed concern over the growing backlog. Many importers and exporters were unable to complete their customs formalities on Thursday (15 May), despite having paid import duties, due to the disruption in clearance services.
Even though some customs work resumes after 3pm, traders say delays persist since bank transactions cannot be completed on time.
"This pen-down strike is causing serious issues," said ASM Rezaul Karim Swapan, customs affairs secretary of the Chattogram Customs Agents Association. "Although some officers try to handle pending files after 3pm, the limited hours are not sufficient to manage the workload," he added.
The strike began last Wednesday (14 May) following the issuance of a draft ordinance on 12 May.
Despite protests and appeals from revenue department officials, the government finalized the ordinance without substantial changes.
The new law dissolves the decades-old NBR and replaces it with two separate bodies: the Revenue Policy Department and the Revenue Management Department.
