Sunamganj District Bus, Minibus and Microbus Workers Union called an indefinite strike from May 29 in the district demanding to press-home their three-point demand. All modes of transport will stay off from Sunamganj-Sylhet road during the strike, said Nurul Islam, general secretary of Sunamganj District Bus, Minibus, and Microbus Workers Union while reading out the written statement. The demands include taking steps against extortion, physically assaulting the transport workers, vandalism and withdrawal of cases against them. Also read: Indefinite bus strike in Sunamganj from May 4 Earlier, we wanted to go for the strike from May 3 but as per the request of the local administration due to SSC examination, they stepped back from their decision. But the administration did not pay any heed to their demands, forcing the transport workers union to go for the strike.  

Bus services returned to normal in Sylhet on Wednesday, with transport workers calling off their strike on Tuesday night. The aggrieved transport workers called off their stir after the district administration assured them to meet their five-point demand, according to union leaders. “We had a meeting with officials of the district administration around 8pm and they gave us an assurance to meet all our demands," said Ali Akbar Rajan, joint general secretary of the district bus, mini bus, coach, and microbus workers' union. "At the same time, the district administration officials requested us to suspend the strike in view of the SSC examination. So, we’ve decided to withdraw the indefinite strike," he added. Mainul Islam, president of district bus, minibus workers union, said that the district administration assured them to fulfill all their demands by October 15. Also read: Sylhet Transport owners to go on strike from Tuesday "In view of their assurance and considering the SSC examination and Durga Puja, we have decided to postpone the strike till October 15. We hope the demands will be met by then," he said. On Tuesday, the transport workers went on an indefinite strike to press home their five demands, including an end to harassment by traffic cops and suspension of Sylhet Metropolitan Police Commissioner. The unions also demanded that the damaged roads in the district should be repaired at the earliest and that a ban be enforced on the sales and operations of CNG-powered auto-rickshaws and electric rickshaws in Sylhet.  

Thousands of commuters in Sylhet have been hit, with buses staying off the roads since Tuesday morning in the wake of an indefinite strike called by Sylhet district transport workers. Sylhet district road transport workers coordination council called the strike on Monday evening to press home their five-point demand. They have threatened to intensify their stir if their demands are not met by the end of the day. Not a single long-haul bus has left or entered Sylhet since morning while intra-district transport movement also remained suspended as workers armed with sticks picketed on roads. Meanwhile, six registered organisations of transport workers have joined this story. Also read: Sylhet Transport owners to go on strike from Tuesday Ali Akbar Rajan, joint general secretary of district bus, minu bus, coach, and microbus workers' union, said their five demands have been ignored by the government for a long time. “We have sent a memorandum of our demands to the Home Minister and to all the sectors of the Sylhet administration. Yet none of our demands is met so we were forced to embark on an indefinite strike,” he said. "Already transport workers from Brahmanbaria have expressed solidarity with us,” he said. According to Zakaria Ahmed, general secretary of Sylhet district road transport workers coordination council, their five demands include an end to harassment by traffic cops and suspension of Sylhet Metropolitan Police Commissioner. Also read: Six injured in clash between transport workers in the capital The unions also demanded that the damaged roads in the district should be repaired at the earliest and that a ban be enforced on the sales and operations of CNG-powered auto-rickshaws and electric rickshaws in Sylhet.

At least six people were injured in a clash between two groups of transport workers in the capital’s Jurain area on Friday evening. The injured are Md Rony, 35, Md Miraz, 25, Md Shohag, 20, Md Jamal, 40, Md Masum, 28 and Md Parvez, 16. The clash erupted in front of the area’s Bikrampur Plaza between Babu group and Arif group over occupying counters.   Locally-made sharp weapons were used during the clash, which injured Md Parvez, a passerby. Read: Transport worker killed in clashes with cops in city

Agitated transport workers in Dinajpur have blocked the district’s Dashmail central truck terminal and adjacent roads, protesting the detention of two of their fellow workers over allegations of extortion and obnoxious comments made by the Officer In-charge (OC) of Kaharol police station about their organization. As a result, movement of all types of public transport has remained suspended in the district. According to Sadakatul Bari Sada, President of Dinajpur Truck-Lorry-Covered Van Workers’ Union, OC Rais Uddin detained two workers over allegations of extortion in Kaharol upazila. “We went to the police station to talk to the OC. But instead of giving us time, the OC termed our registered organization as illegal. The aggrieved workers are protesting the detention and the remark made by the OC by blocking various roads since 5:00pm today,” said Sada. Read: Rajshahi transport owners, workers call strike from Nov 1 OC Rais denied the allegations, saying that they detained two workers for questioning over extortion at Kaharol cattle market.   “I didn’t term the Union as illegal. Rather, I tried to talk to the leaders of the organization in the evening. I’m trying to mitigate the situation by talking with my high-ups,” Rais said.

Transport workers went on an indefinite strike on all routes of Dinajpur Thursday morning protesting the arrest of eight fellow workers and the attack on a transport leader.  Locals said transport workers put up barricades in many places including Dinajpur central bus terminal and Baluadanga bus stand in the morning.     Also read: Sylhet transport workers' indefinite strike withdrawn after one day No passenger buses and goods-laden trucks left the district since morning due to the strike, causing sufferings to common people.. Fazle Rabbi, general secretary of the district Motor Transport Workers’ Union, said police arrested eight transport workers including Ambulance Drivers’s Union general secretary Mainuddin following separate clashes among ambulance drivers and police and human hauler (Paglu) drivers and transport workers in Baluadanga Thursday night.  As police did not release the detainees till morning, transport workers called for an indefinite transport strike in the district.  Transport workers alleged that human hauler drivers beat Baluadanga bus stand general secretary Dablu up over controlling transport business in the town. Police did not take any action against the attackers after getting complaint  which created anger among the transport workers.  Also read: Goods transport workers call off strike In a separate incident, ambulance drivers of M Abdur Rahim Medical College Hospital locked into a clash with police at night, protesting the arrest of six ambulance drivers.  Police detained the six drivers over an allegation filed by Md Mamun, an official of the hospital, that ambulance drivers were taking additional money from the patients in hostage.   A meeting among transport workers-owners, police, and the administration was underway Thursday noon to settle the matter.  

Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader on Tuesday voiced concern over the transport workers’ rowdy attitude towards passengers and urged the government to take steps for stopping road anarchy over bus fares. “It can’t be accepted the way the transport workers misbehave with passengers. Road anarchy must be stopped,” he said. In a statement, the Jatiya Party chief said the transport workers are collecting much more money from passengers than the bus fares increased by the road transport authorities on the pretext of hike in diesel and kerosene prices. Read: No one to look into public sufferings: GM Quader As a result, GM Quader said, the ordinary passengers are being harassed while trying to reach their destinations by bus every day. “When they (passengers) protest, they’re subjected to indescribable torture.” He also said full fares are being collected from students instead of half they deserve. “The transport workers are behaving harshly with female students and women.” GM Quader said transport owners and workers had enforced a transport strike without any prior notice soon after the government increased the prices of diesel and kerosene by Tk 15 per liter on the night of November 3 last, harassing crores of commuters. “But no one has the right to call a strike without any prior notice.” Later, he said, the government raised the transport fares through discussions with the transport owners and workers. “Many common people expressed their displeasure over the issue as they thought it’s a staged-managed drama. Even after that, the workers are collecting fares from passengers several times higher than the officially fixed ones.” Read: Raising fuel price, transport fare an anti-people move: GM Quader Though the oil prices have started falling on the international market, the Jatiya Party chief said the government does not seem to have any plan to lower the fuel prices. He bemoaned that the prices of essential commodities are skyrocketing due to the rise in transportation costs. “That’s why ordinary people are struggling to make ends meet.” GM Quader said the government has to take a quick decision to reduce the fuel prices as the oil prices have started falling in the world market. He also urged the government to take steps for ensuring half fares for students.

An indefinite transport strike, enforced by Bangladesh Road Transport Workers' Federation (BRTWF), began in Sylhet division on Monday to press for their five-point demand. Commuters, including SSC examinees and office-goers, continued to suffer as all modes of public transport, including buses, CNG-run auto-rickshaws and freight trucks went off the roads in the division. However, vehicles carrying SSC examinees, patients, foreign-bound people have been kept out of the purview of the strike. No long-haul buses have left Sylhet since morning due to the strike and transport workers were seen picketing on the roads. Read: Indefinite transport strike in Sylhet from Monday Private vehicles were seen dominating the streets in Sylhet city in absence of public transport. Talking to UNB, a number of passengers expressed anger and frustration over the frequent transport strikes. Hossain Ahmed, a bank official waiting at the Sylhet Central Bus Terminal, said, “Transport owners go on strike for simple reasons. They want to realise their demands, making us hostage. This is very unfair.” He demanded an end to such strikes in the emergency services sector by enacting a law.

The indefinite bus strike that District Road Transport Workers’ Union enforced Sunday morning demanding an end to extortion from the bus drivers on Sylhet bypass road has been withdrawn. Nurul Haque, general secretary of the union said the strike was withdrawn in the afternoon. Deputy Commissioner of the district Md Jahangir Hossain and Additional Superintendent of police (Sadar) Jaynal Abedin held a meeting with the union leaders at noon where they assured the workers that they will take step to stop extortion on Sylhet bypass road. Read: Indefinite bus strike underway in Sunamganj The workers’ leaders then decided to withdraw the strike on condition of  resolving  the issue within three days. Nurul Haque said  they will resume strike if the issue is not resolved in three days. DC Jahangir Hossain said hopefully the problem will be resolved once police are deployed in the area.

Transport workers in Chandpur went on a wildcat strike on Monday morning halting bus services in the district in protest of a driver's death allegedly due to negligence. The sudden stoppage caused huge sufferings to the commuters and long-distance travellers. As many as 400 bus services on Dhaka, Cumilla, Lakshmipur, Sylhet, and Chattogram routes from the district remained suspended while workers vandalized a part of the municipal bus terminal during a demonstration. Also read: Protest in Chattogram over construction of elevated expressway Later police took control of the situation but the buses stood still at the terminal till writing this report, said police sources. Due to the sudden suspension, the office and daily commuters had to pay double fare to reach their destinations by auto rickshaws or some other means. Officer-in-Charge of Sadar model police station Md Abdur Rashid said, on Sunday a bus named Padma lost control and hit a roadside tree in Chandpur sadar leaving a child dead and 10 injured including the bus driver Mizan Molla, 30. Severely injured Mizan was referred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital after giving primary treatment in district hospital but he succumbed to his injuries on Sunday night. Also read: Student protest causes traffic disruption in Barishal Angered by Mizan’s death the transport workers in Chandpur started demonstrating Monday claiming that the driver died due to lack of treatment. They also demanded solution for infrastructure problems in the terminal and resignation of transport leaders. Police held a meeting with the bus owners and workers association to solve the issue. Municipal mayor will also hold a meeting with the transport workers’ representatives, said leaders of the workers Kamal Patwary and Faruque Dewan.