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Today is Great May Day. This day is observed globally, including in Bangladesh, as a day to secure the rights of working people. On the occasion of the day, President Md. Shahabuddin and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman have issued separate messages.
This year’s theme for the day is ‘Healthy Workers, Capable Hands, A New Dawn Will Come’. On the occasion of the day, President Md. Shahabuddin has extended heartfelt greetings and congratulations to all working people in Bangladesh and across the world.
He stated that the contribution of working people to the country’s development progress is immense. Workers are the main architects of the nation’s development. Their tireless efforts in every sector, including industry, agriculture, and construction, are propelling our economy forward. To realize the goal of building a prosperous Bangladesh, it is essential to ensure the fair rights, safe working environment, and social protection of working people.
The President further added, “I firmly believe that by ensuring fair rights for workers, fostering good relations between owners and laborers, and protecting the occupational health of workers, Bangladesh will achieve unique heights on the world stage as a developed worker-friendly society and a humane and just state.”
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, noting that the current government is committed to improving the living standards of workers, stated that the government is also determined to ensure fair wages for workers and equal wages for men and women through regular wage reviews.
He mentioned that the government has undertaken an initiative to launch a ‘Probashi Card’ (Expat Card) to ensure various benefits, including economic protection, for migrant workers.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will deliver a speech for the first time at the labor rally organized by Bangladesh Nationalist Sramik Dal (BNP’s labor front) in Dhaka on the occasion of Great May Day. Nazrul Islam Khan, a standing committee member of the party, announced this information at a press conference held at the BNP central office on Thursday.
On this day in 1886, workers at Chicago’s Haymarket in the United States called a strike with various demands, including setting an eight-hour workday, improved working conditions, and increased wages. The agitated workers took to the streets that day to press their demands.
However, brutal methods were used to suppress the protest that day. Workers sacrificed their lives in police firing. The incident then drew strong reactions worldwide. The rights of working people were established through the self-sacrifice of the Chicago workers.