Jatiya Shramik Shakti protests Sitakunda shipbreaking deaths in Shahbagh

Jatiya Shramik Shakti leaders at the foot of the July Memorial in Shahbagh on 15 August 2026. Photo: Collected

Jatiya Shramik Shakti, the labour wing of the National Citizen Party (NCP), staged a protest and human chain at Shahbagh in Dhaka on Friday, demanding justice for workers killed in a toxic gas leak at a shipbreaking yard in Sitakunda, Chattogram.

The programme was held at the foot of the July Memorial, where leaders of the organisation called for compensation for the victims’ families, a neutral investigation into the incident and legal action against those responsible.

Mazharul Islam Fakir, convener of Jatiya Shramik Shakti, said accidents continue to occur at shipbreaking yards because workers are often employed without adequate safety measures.

He demanded the arrest of the owner of Ferdous Steel Ship Breaking Yard and urged that the owner be brought to justice.

Mazharul alleged that worker safety has remained a longstanding concern in Sitakunda’s shipbreaking industry, noting that workers have died in accidents in the area in the past.

“No industrial establishment should be allowed to operate without ensuring workers’ safety,” he said. He warned that any attempt to suppress or cover up the incident would lead the organisation to launch a movement involving workers, students and members of the public.

Ahmed Ishaq, joint convener of the organisation, said no government could remain in power for long without standing beside farmers and workers. He called for justice for the affected workers.

The protesters also demanded an end to excessive working hours and called for safe working conditions at all shipbreaking yards. They reiterated their demands for compensation, an investigation and punishment for those responsible.

Jatiya Shramik Shakti also organised a human chain in Chattogram with the same demands.

Speakers at the Chattogram programme said the recent deaths were not the first fatalities at the site. They claimed that workers had died in an accident four years ago, while another worker died from toxic gas exposure two years ago.

They also alleged that the establishment had previously faced a legal case but was later allowed to resume shipbreaking operations.

The speakers said shipbreaking establishments should not be permitted to operate without meeting environmental and worker safety standards. They accused the government of failing to pay adequate attention to repeated worker deaths in Sitakunda and criticised the decision to provide Tk10 lakh in compensation to the families of the deceased.

At least nine workers were killed and six others injured on Thursday after toxic gas leaked from a tank inside a liquefied natural gas tanker being dismantled at Ferdous Steel Ship Recycling Industries in Sitakunda upazila of Chattogram.