Dock workers at Bangladesh’s largest port, Chattogram, have intensified their strike in protest against the interim government’s plan to lease operating licences to a foreign company.
The strike, which began in October with a small group, has now grown to around 200 workers at the port — the country’s main trade gateway and a critical link in the global garment supply chain.
“Foreign expert operators would increase foreign investment and enhance efficiency,” said Chattogram Port Authority Chairman S. M. Moniruzzaman.
Bangladesh, the world’s second-largest garment exporter, depends heavily on Chattogram Port — formerly known as Chittagong — for the majority of its imports and exports.
According to the state-run news agency BSS, UAE-based DP World has shown interest in managing the port’s New Mooring Container Terminal, while Danish shipping giant A.P. Moller–Maersk is eyeing the Laldia Container Terminal.
In October, Mohammed Yousuf, senior secretary at the Ministry of Shipping, stated that agreements were expected to be signed by December with Bangladesh’s interim administration, which took power following the ouster of Sheikh Hasina’s government in August 2024. Elections are scheduled for February.
However, the proposed deal has sparked anger and uncertainty among dockworkers.
“We don’t know if the new authority will hire us or restructure the entire system,” said Nur Uddin, a 55-year-old striking docker. “Do they even have the mandate? They are an interim government,” added another worker, Iliyas Bhuiyan.
Supporters of the move, however, argue that foreign expertise could help modernise and expand port 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.”
Critics, meanwhile, fear that leasing out the terminals would weaken national 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).
