The leaders of the water transport workers have withdrawn their strike demanding wage hike as of Monday evening. The decision was taken after a meeting of owners, workers and authority at the Labour Department building in the capital led by State Minister for Labour and Employment Begum Monnujan Sufian. Vice President of Bangladesh Lighterage vessel Workers Union Nabi Alam told UNB the strike was withdrawn as the government assured a gazette notification will be issued raising the wage within a month. The State Minister said a proposal formulation committee in coordination with the government, owners and workers' representatives has been formed to determine the new wage structure for the workers of the inland waterways under the private sector. Within the next one month, the proposal committee will recommend the new wage structure, said Monnujan Sufian. “From this month till the implementation of the new wage structure, the workers of 100 ton cargo ships and passenger launches will get an additional allowance of Tk 1200 per month along with their wages. And the workers of ships above 1000 tons will get an additional allowance of Tk 1500 per month,” she said The state minister said that the other problems of shipping workers will be solved after discussion with the relevant authorities. Read more: Day 2 of water transport workers’ strike: Passengers bear the brunt as always From Sunday, the water transport workers embarked on a countryside strike to press home their 10 point demands, including fixing their minimum wage at Tk 20,000. At present, a water transport worker gets a minimum wage of Tk 7,750 monthly and they demanded a hike in context of abnormally rising commodities prices. Other demands of the workers were- providing appointment letter, identity card and service book to workers, formation of Contributory Provident Fund and Seafarer Welfare Fund to provide food and sea allowances, providing Tk 10 lakh compensation for accident and death at work. Read more: Countrywide water transport strike: Unloading at Ctg port halted Besides, relaxation of restrictions on nighttime movement of sand-carrying bulkheads and dredgers, stopping terrorism, extortion and robbery on waterways, stopping harassment along the Indian border in providing landing passes to workers travelling India, 100% enforcement of goods transport policy at Chattogram port to force all lightering vessels to maintain serial, canceling the lease at Charpara Ghat and stopping all kinds of irregularities and mismanagement by the Department of Shipping.

Water transport workers announced to go on an indefinite strike across the country from November 26 at midnight to press home their 10-point demand, including increasing wages. The workers’ demands include providing appointment letters, identity cards and service books. To make this strike successful, a protest rally was brought out from the Barishal river port organized by the Divisional Vessel Workers Sangram Parishad on Saturday afternoon, said Nazrul Islam, president of the Parishad. Read more: Inland water transport suspended as Cyclone ‘Sitrang’ approaches Later they formed a human chain in the port area. Among others, Bangladesh Trade Union Central District Committee General Secretary AK Azad, Labour Union Coordinator Mozammel Sikder and Harunur Rashid Sikder spoke on the programme. Read more: Inland water transport operations resume as Sitrang weakens  

Bangladesh is a country of the river, so we have a glorious history of traveling by water. The paddle steamer is such a historic water vehicle in Bangladesh. In the past, several paddle steamers built by the British used to travel the Dhaka-Calcutta route. Later, as the Dhaka-Kolkata route was closed, the steamers traveled from Dhaka to Khulna. At present, due to the reduced navigability of the river, these paddle steamers are running from Dhaka’s Buriganga across the country’s main rivers to Morrelganj in Bagerhat. These 100 years old paddle steamers might stop their services soon or in the future. So, we have tried to dig everything you need to know about paddle steamers in Bangladesh. Paddle Steamer and Its History Coal is used as fuel in these steamers, which are almost a hundred years old. In the early eighties, coal was replaced by diesel engines. The paddle steamer is named because the launch moves forward with the help of two large paddles. However, due to the high speed at that time, the steamers became more known as rocket steamers. Among the few paddle steamers in the world PS Mashood (1926), PS Ostrich (1929), PS Lepcha (1938), PS Turn (1950), and MV Shela (1951) are in Bangladesh. Under the nearly 100-year-old official rocket service, three steamers still operate as public transport on Dhaka – Morrelganj – Dhaka route. The paddle steamers are so old that they are no longer used anywhere in the world. Read Top 10 Historical Mosques in Bangladesh The steamers operate on the Dhaka-Khulna route under the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC). The biggest of these are ‘Masud’ and ‘Ostrich.’ More than ninety years ago, in 1928, the paddle steamer PS Masood was built at the Garden Rich Workshop in Calcutta. During that time, England’s “River and Steam Navigation” company used to operate huge streamers in this country. These vehicles were the main means of communication between Dhaka-Barisal, and Barisal-Goaland. Paddle Steamer at a Glance The rocket steamer has 12 first-class and 10 second-class air-conditioned cabins. Two beds in each cabin with their own veranda. First and second-class tickets are sold from Motijheel, BIWTA head office, and third-class tickets are sold in the steamer. In the third class, passengers have to bring their own bed to sit on the deck. The cabins contain two beds, a table, a washbasin, and two fans. Read Ancient Temples of Bangladesh: Remembering Their Past Glory While the roofs of all launches are accessible to the general public, there is no way to enjoy the river at night by sitting on the roof of a rocket steamer. Rocket roofs are not suitable for human movement. It has a small room in which the rocket steamer’s captain sits and operates the steamer. Food and Drinks If you want to eat canteen food on the paddle steamer, you have to order in advance. The food is cooked after ordering. If you want, you can take a food package of 220 Taka per person. There is also a variety of food, including coral fish and chicken fry as snacks. If you want to carry the food in the cabin, you may need to pay Tk 50 as a service charge. There are usually two types of menus. A menu with khichuri, chicken, and eggs, and another menu with white rice chicken and two fillings. Amenities for Local Passengers The second-class rooms are located on the backside of the steamer, and the rooms are smaller than the first class. These rooms do not come with a washbasin or linen. However, Shower rooms and toilets are shared by the first- and second-class passengers. Between the first and second classes, inter and deck classes are available. The deck passengers have common toilets to use.

The government has allowed the movement of all public transport services till Sunday 12pm to help the export-oriented factory workers and officials to return to their workplaces. Bus, launch and train services will be operational in all routes across the country during this time. The development was confirmed by the Press Information Department Saturday amid a strict lockdown which will continue till August 5. Read: No decision yet on lockdown extension: Farhad Also, the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) "allowed all water transport to operate from Saturday evening to Sunday 12pm to transport factory workers." The decisions came a day after the government allowed export-oriented factories to restart production from tomorrow amid the ongoing lockdown. Read: Covid kills 218 more in Bangladesh as its catastrophe continues Despite the suspension of public transports, thousands of people started returning to Dhaka through alternative means on the ninth day of the lockdown Saturday. A record surge in the number of Covid cases and fatalities in recent days prompted the government to enforce a nationwide stringent lockdown, suspending all outdoor activities unless there is an emergency.