Bangladesh truck drivers' strike finally ended after 33 hours, and port transportation operations gradually resumed!

It is reported that in order to call on the government to meet some of their demands, Bangladeshi truck drivers and workers started a 72-hour strike on the morning of September 21. For a time, container loading and unloading and cargo transportation in Chittagong and other seaports in the country were stopped.

Chittagong is the largest port in Bangladesh, with a constant flow of cargo ships entering and leaving the port every day, and nearly 7,000 vehicles entering the port area to transport goods. The strike by truck drivers and workers will seriously affect the normal operation of the port.

It is reported that the truck drivers led the strike to ask the government to meet their 15 demands, including raising the income tax standards for vehicle owners; amendments to the Road Transport Act-2018; stopping police harassment and extortion; relaxing the licensing requirements for heavy truck drivers; and setting up truck driver rest rooms every 50 kilometers along highways. According to the Secretary-General of the Freight Transport Owners Association, the government unilaterally raised the income tax for vehicle owners in 2019.

If the strike continues, it will seriously aggravate the port congestion and supply chain disruption crisis. However, it is understood that on September 22, truck and van drivers and workers held a meeting with the Minister of the Interior, and finally, the Minister of the Interior, the Chief of Police and senior administrative officials agreed to their demands.

The 33-hour strike finally came to an end. Port officials said that cargo transportation is gradually resuming. However, the strike still had a certain impact on the normal operation of the country's ports, as containers were piled up at the ports, and the ships docked at the ports could only queue up to dock and delay delivery.

At present, the global supply chain disruption crisis is intensifying, port congestion is not optimistic, and frequent strikes in many parts of the world will undoubtedly aggravate the supply crisis of maritime trade.

Bangladesh truck drivers and workers go on strike

Port operations disrupted