Convener of the National Citizen Party (NCP) and Opposition Chief Whip Nahid Islam has called for ensuring the rights and dignity of workers, marking International Workers’ Day.
In a statement issued on Thursday, he expressed gratitude and extended greetings to workers at home and abroad, and paid tribute to the martyrs of the 1886 Haymarket movement in Chicago who sacrificed their lives demanding an eight-hour workday.
He said May Day has been observed in Bangladesh since independence, but it has largely remained confined to formal programmes, banners, and discussions, bringing only limited change to the lives of workers.
He alleged that during the previous Awami League rule, workers demanding fair wages faced repression, while labour leaders were repeatedly picked up at night. He also said justice over the Rana Plaza tragedy remains incomplete even after 13 years.
Workers had dreamt of change through sacrifice during the July uprising, but inequality persists and fair wages remain unfulfilled, he said.
Calling for a worker-friendly Bangladesh, he said the goal should be to build a state where workers’ dignity, rights, and due wages are ensured.
