Dhaka: The National Committee to Protect Shipping, Roads & Railways is urging the authorities to meet the 15 demands made by vessel workers, including an increase in their minimum wage.  

National Committee adviser Manzurul Ahsan Khan and general secretary Ashis Kumar Dey called for this in a joint statement released Thursday. The green and civil rights body has long been campaigning for an environment- and public-friendly transport system.

To avoid public suffering, the Committee also urged the Labour and Shipping Ministries to take immediate steps to resolve the present crisis.  

According to the joint statement, the present minimum wage for all vessels’ labour, including passenger carriers, is a paltry Tk 4,100.  

The workers want the monthly wage raised to Tk 8,250, taking the current price trends into consideration, a demand the National Committee finds feasible.  

The Committee also supports the workers’ demands to stop extortion in the waterways, ensuring security, and appointment letters upon assuming jobs in the sector. It thus urged the government to take the steps necessary to resolve the present crisis.