Workers at Chattogram port have announced plans to begin a fast-unto-death hunger strike starting October 19, demanding the cancellation of a recent agreement that grants Dubai-based DP World the rights to operate the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT). The announcement followed a symbolic mass hunger strike held on Monday at the port’s One Stop Service Centre.
The protest was organized by the Port Protection Struggle Council (Bandar Rokkha Sangram Parishad) and the Sramik Dal trade union, reflecting the concerns of port laborers over job security and the perceived lack of transparency surrounding the DP World deal. Md Ibrahim Khokon, coordinator of the council, stated that the government was given a deadline until October 18 to engage in meaningful talks. If no progress is made by then, the fast-unto-death protest will commence in Chattogram.
Other labor leaders who attended the event included Tapan Dutta, president of the Trade Union Centre (TUC) for Chattogram district, Kazi Sheikh Nurullah Bahar, divisional general secretary of Jatiotabadi Sramik Dal, and Humayun Kabir, also a coordinator of the council.
During the initial hunger strike, Humayun Kabir emphasized that despite their efforts to initiate dialogue with the government, no response had been forthcoming. He expressed the group’s readiness to escalate their protests if the government fails to engage in discussions. Kabir also cited previous cancellations of contracts with DP World in other countries such as Djibouti as precedent for their demand to scrap the NCT agreement.
Md Ibrahim Khokon criticized the lack of public information regarding the terms of the agreement, underscoring the council’s calls for immediate cancellation. “We do not know what is in the NCT deal. The people of the country do not know either,” he said.
The concession agreement was signed on Thursday at the Invest Bangladesh Auditorium in Dhaka by Chittagong Port Authority Chairman Md Moniruzzaman on behalf of the port and DP World Chairman Essa Kazim for the Dubai-based firm. Under the deal, DP World will operate the newly developed terminal, a key facility intended to enhance container handling capacity at Bangladesh’s busiest seaport.
The laborers’ protests highlight ongoing tensions between port authorities’ efforts to modernize infrastructure through international partnerships and workers’ concerns over job security and transparency. The government has yet to respond publicly to the latest demands from the port workers.