Chattogram, Oct 23 (V7N) – Workers and employees under the banner of the Shramik-Karmachari Oikko Parishad (SKOP) held a protest rally demanding that the New Muring Container Terminal (NCT) at Chattogram Port not be leased to private or foreign entities. The demonstration took place on Wednesday morning in Agrabad, Chattogram city.

After the assembly, workers attempted to march toward the port area but were blocked by police. During the event, union leaders announced a hunger strike in front of Chattogram Press Club on November 1.

Speakers at the rally emphasized that Chattogram Port, one of the country’s major revenue sources, must not be privatized or handed over to foreign companies. They alleged that efforts were underway to favor foreign corporations while undermining workers’ rights.

The meeting at Badamtoli Mor, Agrabad, was presided over by Tapan Dutta, Chattogram district president of the Trade Union Centre (TUC). Speakers included Kazi Sheikh Nurullah Bahar, regional general secretary of the Nationalist Workers’ Party, S.K. Khoda Toton, president of the Bangladesh Labour Federation, and Rabiul Haque, organizational secretary of BLF, among others.

Tapan Dutta said, “Chattogram Port is not privately owned. It is the people’s asset. Handing any part of it to foreign entities is like striking at the livelihoods of working people. On November 1, hundreds of workers and employees will stage a hunger strike in front of the Press Club starting at 10 a.m.”

When contacted, Officer-in-Charge (OC) Babul Azad of Double Mooring Police Station stated, “All assemblies are prohibited in the port area until November 11. The workers have been requested to restrict their program within the police station’s jurisdiction, which they have agreed to.”

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