Around 3,000 workers of 16 docks along the river Karnaphuli went on an indefinite strike this morning to press for pay rise disrupting riverine inland cargo transportation.

They demanded Tk 10 for carrying a bag of goods. They are now paid Tk 7.20 for a bag.

Around 200 workers work at each station.

“We have long been demanding Tk 10 for unloading a bag. We had given them an ultimatum to meet our demand too. But the contractor did not pay any heed to our grievance," said Abdul Khaleque, general secretary of Chittagong Ghat and Godown Workers Union.

But Vice Chairman of Lighterage Vessel Owners and Contractors Association Haji Shafique Ahmed refuted the allegation saying the workers stopped working without any prior notice.

Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industries (CCCI) President and Convenor of Water Transport Co-ordination Cell (WTCC) MA Latif MP condemned the ‘unexpected’ strike and said it would leave negative impact on the inland water transportation.

“Because of the strike, the mother vessels at outer anchorage will have to suffer most,” he said in a statement.

Sources said 36 mother vessels with a total of 11, 46,000 tonnes of cement clinker, wheat, salt, sugar, pulse and fertiliser were waiting at the outer anchorage of Chittagong port to be unloaded.