CHITTAGONG: Workers of oil-carrying ships has been observing indefinite work abstention from Sunday midnight protesting the closing of some 150 oil-carrying ships.

Bangladesh Lighterage Workers Union general secretary Nabi Alam said that they are observing the abstention with the demand of cancellation of the government decision on closing the ships as over three thousand ship workers have been jobless.

He told banglanews that the energy ministry took the decision of closing the oil-carrying ships without any prior notice.

This decision has made over three thousand works jobless, he added.

According to Alam, they have called this abstention program for indefinite period as the shipping minister could not give them any assurance of the cancellation of the decision.

Mentioning the ships have legal papers, he further said that the government decision has made the workers stunned as it has pushed them to starvation.

BDST: 1142 HRS, JAN 19, 2015