Long-route bus services from Rajshahi, Natore and Chapainawabganj districts came to a halt once again from Thursday night as owners suspended operations amid renewed disputes with transport workers over raising the latter鈥檚 wages and allowances.
Bangladesh Bus-Truck Owners鈥� Association vice-president Bajlur Rahman Ratan said that the suspension began at about 10:00pm on Thursday.
The services of the buses that were suspended are mainly bound for Dhaka, Chattogram, Sylhet and Cox鈥檚 Bazar.
Except for Ekota Paribahan and a few local buses, all other operators stopped running their buses.
Earlier this month, transport workers enforced two rounds of strikes demanding higher wages and allowances.
The owners claimed that those demands had already been settled at a tripartite meeting in Dhaka on Tuesday with leaders of the Bangladesh Road Transport Owners鈥� Association and the Bangladesh Road Transport Workers鈥� Federation.
鈥榃e sat with the workers in Dhaka, raised their wages and allowances, and the meeting ended amicably. But now they are insisting on stopping buses anywhere on highways to pick up passengers and are demanding additional daily food allowances. This is unacceptable for business,鈥� Ratan told 抖阴精品.
He said that the workers refused to run buses until the allowances were granted, and the owners decided not to operate their buses under such conditions.
Rafiqul Islam Pakhi, general secretary of Rajshahi District Motor Workers鈥� Union, however, said that the owners had gone back on their promise.
鈥業n Tuesday鈥檚 meeting, they assured us that the wages and allowances provided by Ekota Paribahan would be introduced from Thursday. But when we went to them Thursday night, they said that would not provide the increased wages and announced suspension of bus services,鈥� he said.
On the issue of food allowances, Pakhi added, 鈥楢 round-trip from Dhaka to Rajshahi takes about 24 hours. Ekota pays Tk 150 to each staff member as food allowance, but other owners refuse to pay it. That is the real reason behind the suspension.鈥�
聽On September 7, workers suspended services in the three districts over the wage issue and operations resumed two days later after assurances from the owners.
But, on September 22, workers again launched an indefinite strike that lasted until the afternoon of September 23, with only Ekota buses in service.
Just a day after resumption, the services collapsed again, causing immense suffering for passengers bound for Dhaka, Chattogram, Sylhet and Cox鈥檚 Bazar.
The sudden suspension sparked frustration among passengers, many of whom were trying to leave before the Puja holidays.
Rajshahi University student Limon Hossain at the city terminal on Friday said, 鈥楤efore the Puja, buses and trains were already overcrowded. Now this sudden suspension has left us stranded.鈥�