All import and export activities at all customs stations across Bangladesh, including Chittagong Port, which handles the all-important apparel shipments, remained suspended for around seven hours recently after the clearing and forwarding (C&F) agents went on a strike (from 9:00am to 4:00pm) to drive home their eight-point demand.
This is as per reports, which underlined the C&F agents on Monday (30 January) gathered at the main gate of the customs house at Chittagong Port as well as those in other parts of Bangladesh, demanding amendment of laws related to licensing and the HS (harmonised system) code even as they also urged authorities to not hold C&F agents liable for mistakes made by the importers and eventually called of the strike after Chairman of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) Abu Hena Md Rahmatul Muneem called on them to discuss these issues on 7 February.
