Bangladesh dockers strike over foreign takeover of key port

Bangladesh's dock workers escalated a strike on Saturday at the country's biggest port, Chattogram, protesting plans by the interim government to lease operating licences to a foreign company.

The walkout, which began in small numbers in October, has now grown to around 200 workers at the port -- Bangladesh's main trade gateway and a vital hub in the global garment supply chain.

"Foreign expert operators would increase the foreign investment and enhance the efficiency," Chattogram Port Authority chairman S. M. Moniruzzaman told AFP.

Bangladesh, the world's second-largest garment exporter, relies heavily on Chattogram port -- formerly known as Chittagong and strategically located on the Bay of Bengal -- for most of its imports and exports.

According to state-run news agency BSS, UAE-based DP World has expressed interest in operating the port's New Mooring Container Terminal, and Danish shipping giant A.P. Moller–Maersk in the Laldia Container Terminal on the city's outskirts.

In October, Mohammed Yousuf, senior secretary at the Ministry of Shipping, said that "agreements are expected to be signed by December" with Bangladesh's interim administration.

The interim administration, which took over after the government of Sheikh Hasina was toppled in a mass uprising in August 2024, will be replaced after elections in February.

The port move has sparked anger among some.

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"We don't know if the new authority will hire us or restructure the entire system," striking docker Nur Uddin, 55, told AFP on Saturday. 

"Do they even have the mandate? They are an interim government," said Iliyas Bhuiyan, 56, another dockworker.

But supporters say foreign expertise could modernise operations.

"We need a globally reputed operator to increase the port's capacity," said Kabir Ahmed, president of the Bangladesh Freight Forwarders Association (BAFFA).

"It will enhance cargo handling, boost revenue, and strengthen the country’s reputation."

But critics argue that leasing the facilities undermines control.

"It makes no sense to lease the terminals that we developed and have been operating for the past 40 years," said Azam J. Chowdhury, chairman of the Bangladesh Ocean Going Ship Owners’ Association (BOGSOA).

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