Cargo movement at Chittagong Port resumes after CPA talks over 'assault on union leaders'

Transport workers resumed plying goods-laden vehicles through different gates of Chittagong Port around 10:00pm on Monday, after a six-hour halt, following a fruitful meeting with Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) officials.

Earlier, drivers and helpers of different types of goods-carrying vehicles had halted cargo and container movement through the port's gates since 4:00pm, protesting the alleged assault on two workers' union leaders by the port's security staff.

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Speaking to The Daily Star around 10:10pm, Shamsuzzaman Suman, welfare secretary of the Inter District Goods Transport Owners Association, said the workers had postponed their protest programme for the day and resumed cargo movement. This followed an assurance from senior CPA officials, at a tri-party meeting, that their demands would be addressed through a meeting with the CPA chairman at 3:00pm on Tuesday.

CPA Director Secretary Lt Col Md Tangir Ahmood chaired the meeting, which was attended by leaders of different transport owners' and workers' organisations.

Chattogram District Prime Mover Trailer, Concrete Mixer, Flatbed, Dump Truck Workers Union Joint Secretary Hasan Mahmud and Treasurer Moktar Hossain were allegedly physically assaulted during altercations with security staff over their reported collection of additional money while collecting the port's entry fees.

Suman earlier alleged that for the past few weeks, members of the security department had been collecting Tk 80 to Tk 90 as port entry fee from each truck, covered van and prime mover trailer, against the actual fee of Tk 57.50. This, he said, had created resentment among transport workers, resulting in frequent altercations.

Hasan Mahmud told The Daily Star that the unrest began around 3:00pm today when security guards allegedly beat Moktar Hossain as he tried to take video footage of the collection of reported extra money at port gate no. 5.

As workers halted vehicle movement through that gate in protest, security officials called a meeting at the CPA security department, said Mahmud. He added that when he and others went to attend it, around 200 security staff confined them inside and assaulted him.

Protesting the incidents, prime mover workers and other transport workers halted cargo and container transport through other gates from 4:00pm, suspending delivery of cargo and containers from the port, he claimed.