Train services resume as railway workers end protests

Train services between Dhaka and the rest of the country have resumed after a four-hour disruption as disgruntled railway workers called off their protests to demand permanent employment and an end to the outsourcing of the recruitment process.

The protesters have begun clearing the rail line near the Film Development Corporation in Kawran Bazar and are heading back to the station, according to Anwar Hossain, master of Kamalapur Railway Station.

The Ekta Express train was the first to depart from Kamalapur at 2:55 pm, he said.

Hundreds of temporary workers occupied the rail line around 11 am on Sunday to press home their demands. The protesters are also owed back pay, according to Sardar Shahadat Ali, additional director general of Bangladesh Railway, reports bdnews24.com.

Shahabuddin Munna, a protester, said, "We have been working for six years. We still haven't been hired permanently. Workers are being appointed on a temporary basis. We are protesting against the announcement of outsourced recruitment through contracting firms.”

At least 15 trains were stranded at various stations around Dhaka due to the protests, according to Khairul Kabir, a railway official.