Meghna Group’s prime mover operators end 16-day strike
Prime mover operators of the Meghna Group have returned to work, ending a 16-day strike after the authorities agreed to accept most of their demands.
Officials of the Meghna Group and the Department of Labour have confirmed that the protesters returned to work on Monday morning after their demands were accepted in a conciliation meeting in Chattogram on Sunday night.
Meghna Group Senior Deputy General Manager Mizanur Rahman told TBS on Tuesday evening that almost 99% of the protesting workers’ demands have been accepted. By 18 July, 57 prime mover operators will be given permanent appointment letters. Their assistants will also be given permanent appointments in due course.
The Meghna Group’s prime movers transport raw materials from Chattogram port to the company’s factory on the banks of the Meghna River. Additionally, these vehicles carry products from the factory to various regions across the country.
Approximately 120 prime mover operators and their assistants at the Meghna Group went on strike on 29 June, demanding permanent appointment letters and eight other demands.
The strike halted the transportation of imported goods from Chattogram port to the group’s various factories, causing over 100 containers filled with more than 2,000 tonnes of industrial raw materials to be stuck at the port.
Consequently, the port’s demurrage charges increased daily, and production in the company’s various factories was disrupted due to the shortage of raw materials. To resolve the crisis, the Meghna Group held several meetings with its transport workers and labour unions but failed to reach a solution, eventually seeking assistance from law enforcement agencies and the Department of Labour.
