Workers hold May Day rallies to call for better labour rights

Wednesday, May Day, witnessed gatherings and rallies by various professional, labour and political groups.

Workers raised their voices in front of the National Press Culb in Dhaka, calling for greater rights and presenting their demands. At the same time, they celebrated the historic May Day with music, playing instruments and singing songs.

Thousands of workers gathered for rallies in front of the National Press Club, marching under the banners of various organizations.

They presented a range of demands, some differing, some overlapping. Some of the prominent demands included salary and allowance increments, reduced overtime hours, six months of maternity leave, prevention of workplace sexual harassment, the establishment of women-friendly work environments, maximum punishment for those responsible for the Rana Plaza tragedy, decreased prices of essential goods, and ensuring living wages.

Leaders of the Workers’ Union talked about the 1986 protests in Chicago, US, where workers demanded an eight-hour workday.

They noted that May Day is celebrated worldwide yet there has been no change in the fate of workers. Rising commodity prices have added to the burdens of labourers. While the government upholds Bangladesh’s development, it has not been able to establish adequate social security measures for workers, they said.

The labour leaders of the National Liberation Council said that labourers are compelled to work beyond the standard eight-hour limit in numerous industries. Workers are coerced into overtime due to severe wage exploitation, resulting in physical strain and damage to their bodies. This excessive workload not only affects the health of the workers but also disrupts their family lives.