Dhaka: Country’s petrol pump and tank-lorry owners and workers observed a nine-hour strike on Sunday and threatened to enforce a non-stop strike after Eid-ul-Azha to press home their 12-point demand.
The threat came from the leaders of Bangladesh Petrol Pump and Tank-Lorry Owners-Workers Unity Council, a new body formed by the owners and workers of the sector. UNB News Agency Reported.
“Our action programme was cent percent successful as all pumps and depots were closed from 6 am to 3 pm across the country. Tank-lorries went off the roads during the period,” said convenor of the unity council Nazmul Haque.
He said the representatives of pump owners, tank-lorry owners and workers will sit at a meeting on Friday to discuss their next course of action programme to be taken to realise the demands.
“The following day, we’ll announce our next action programme, including non-stop strike, if the government doesn’t meet our demands,” he told UNB.
However, other leaders said the fresh programme will be enforced after the upcoming Eid to avoid public sufferings.
One of the main demands of the council is cancellation of new ‘abnormal’ land lease charge imposed by the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) for the use of its land by petrol pump owners for the operation of their pumps.
The other demands include re-fixation of commissions on the sale of petroleum, increasing the tank-lorry fares, introducing Tk 5-lakh accident-insurance coverage for tank-lorry workers, re-fixation of evaporation and operation loss at reasonable level, giving priority to tank-lorries at the ferry terminals, banning the sale of petroleum fuel by private refiners to petrol pumps to check the fuel adulteration or allowing them under necessary legal framework.
Construction of new terminals for tank-lories in new locations and renovation of old terminals, reviewing the existing policy for petrol pump set-up, and stopping police harassment on tank-lorry operation are also among the 12 demands.
