Inter-district commuters have been thrown into a difficult situation by the call for indefinite strike throughout the country made by a section of the Bangladesh Road Transport Workers' Federation (BRTWF).

Almost all types of road transport fall within thepurview of the strike staged for the realisation of their 11-point demand, that reads so thoroughly against public interest. Accepting the right to strike by any recognised union or association of workers, would it be too much to ask whether every means of discussion or negotiation with the authorities concerned were exhausted before calling for such a drastic action that has put hundreds of thousands of passengers into tremendous hardships? When every transport worker has an important role to play in reaching foodgrains and other relief materials to the remote areas of the country the strike could not have come at a more inappropriate time. This attitude of the transport leaders of 'self first' cannot be condoned. The demand for scrapping transit agreement with India is out of place as no such agreement has been signed by these two countries yet.

In view of the growing health hazards due to pollution of the two-stroke engine the decision of the authorities to ease out these killers from the roads should have been welcomed by the transport workers as conscious citizens. Ratner than resisting the phase-out plan they should have urged the government to replace these machines with more biofriendly battery-operated three-wheelers.

Driving licences should be issued, both for heavy and light vehicles, after proper investigation and tests, so that they are given to people with sound health and mind. After all no body wants more killers on roads than we already have. The demand for suspension of leasing out ports should not be the cup of tea for BRTWF.

But we are fully sympathetic to their demand for due payment by the authorities when a vehicle is requisitioned. We also strongly support their demand for safety in hill districts and'stern action against toll collectors irrespective of their political affiliation or allegiance. But why the strike?

If the BRTWF has submitted any list of demand to the authorities concerned as they claim, then the government should immediately open talks with the BRTWF and solve their problems without delay because another transport workers' federation under the leadership of Awami League MP Waziuddin Khan has threatened to go on 72 hours' strike from December 12.