Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan has refused to comment on the nationwide transport workers’ strike.
Shajahan Khan is the acting president of the Bangladesh Road Transport Workers Federation, reports bdnews24.com.
The federation called the 48-hour strike, that started from Sunday morning, demanding amendment of the new road transport law and to press for a list of eight demands.
The chief of the top transport workers’ association avoided the questions when reporters asked for his statement on the strike as he left his offices at the secretariat on Sunday.
When the media persisted with their questions, he said he had ‘no comment’.
The draft of the Road Transport Act was passed recently following a bus accident in Dhaka that resulted in the death of two students and which triggered student protests calling for road safety.
But transport workers have objected to several parts of the law and are demanding they be cancelled.
However, Road Transport Minister Obaidul Quader said on Sunday that it is not possible to accept the demands of the transport workers ahead of the elections and called for them to end their strike.
“They must be patient,” he said. “If there are any legitimate concerns they can be resolved through discussion.”