Bangladesh workers renew old demands at May Day events in Dhaka

Maximum eight-hour work a day, minimum monthly payment of Tk 16,000, trade union rights, safe workplace, compensation for workers injured or dead at work, and an end to oppression of workers – the same old demands have been raised at May Day programmes in Dhaka.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 1 May 2019, 05:37 PM
Updated : 1 May 2019, 06:09 PM

On International Workers’ Day on Wednesday, the streets of the capital were filled up by the workers carrying red flags as different organisations rallied and took out processions.

Sramik League, Sramik Dal, Bangladesh Trade Union Centre, National Garments Workers Federation, Garment Workers Trade Union Centre, Samajtantrik Sramik Front and many other organisations raised their demands at the National Press Club and Paltan areas.

Sommilito Garments Sramik Federation brings out a May Day procession in Dhaka on Wednesday. Photo: Asif Mahmud Ove

They also questioned the role played by the government and groups of businesses in preserving workers’ rights.

“Whose interests did the government want to safeguard when it made owners and workers promise unity?” former minister and Workers Party President Rashed Khan Menon asked at a rally.

“You (owners) are constructing houses one after another while the workers of the garment factories still live in shanties. You could not even build dormitories for them,” he said, citing a study that showed 155 percent rise in wealth of the rich against 121 percent drop in wealth of the poor in past 10 years.

Speakers at the rally demanded extension of maternal leave for garment factory workers to six months from two months, implementation of government-fixed wage structure at all factories, reinstatement of sacked workers and withdrawal of cases against protesting workers.     

The Communist Party of Bangladesh or CPB President Mujahidul Islam Selim, addressing another rally of workers from eight garment factories, alleged that the owners in collusion with the government were using police to suppress workers protesting for fair pay.

He demanded that the owners pay dues and wage as per the government-fixed structure.    

On this day in 1886, police opened fire on a demonstration, killing 10 workers in the US city of Chicago near Hay Market, who were demanding an eight-hour working day instead 12 hours.

At the height of agitation, the authorities had to accept the workers' demand and the eight-hour day has been introduced universally since.

On July 14, 1889 in Paris, an international workers' rally declared May 1 as the International Workers Solidarity Day in recognition of the Chicago workers' sacrifice and achievement and since 1890, the day has been observed globally as the International Workers Solidarity Day.

In Bangladesh, the day is a public holiday. All offices, banks, industries and factories remain closed.