The Khulna wing of Bangladesh Tank Lorry Owners’ Association on Thursday enforced a half-day strike to press home their six-point demand including an increase in transportation fares.
The strike was observed from 8:00am to 12:00pm.
Sheikh Sadi, organising secretary of Khulna Tank Lorry Owners’ Association, and Mir Moksed Ali, former president of the Tank Lorry Workers Union in the region, said that the strike would continue for a week for four hours a day.
In the second week, the strike will extend until 2:00pm and a countrywide indefinite strike will begin from December 5 if the demands are not met, they said.
Tank lorry owners refrained from loading fuel from Padma, Meghna and Jamuna fuel depots in Khalishpur’s Kashipur area and kept their vehicles parked at the depot gates.
Tank lorries were also stationed along BL College Road, BIDC Road and in front of the Kashipur Tank Lorry Workers Union office.
Fuel extraction and distribution from the depots came to a halt, disrupting supply across Khulna and 16 surrounding districts.
The key demands include a fare increase, publication in the government gazette confirming that VAT will be paid by service recipients, inter-district route permits for all tank lorries, fitness clearance for vehicles deemed roadworthy, and extending the economic lifespan of tank lorries to 35 years, allowing those manufactured or registered up to 1990 to operate legally.
