Thousands join Sramik Dal’s Nayapaltan rally on May Day

Thousands of leaders and activists of Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal, the labour wing of BNP, thronged Nayapaltan in the capital on Thursday to join a rally marking International Workers’ Day.

By late morning, large processions from Dhaka North and South city units, as well as neighbouring districts, converged on the rally venue in front of the BNP central office, waving banners, placards and festoons bearing pro-labour slogans and demands.

Chanting slogans for workers’ rights, they began assembling well ahead of the official rally start time at 2pm.

BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman is scheduled to address the rally virtually as chief guest, focusing on the country’s labour issues and broader political context. BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and other senior leaders and labour representatives are also expected to speak.

A makeshift stage, set up with trucks on the street in front of the BNP headquarters, served as the platform for speakers and cultural performances. Despite the sweltering heat, cultural activists kept the crowd energised with music and patriotic songs.

At a press briefing the day before, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said the Sramik Dal rally would highlight the voices of working people and protest their ongoing hardships.

He noted that the organisation prepared leaflets and banners outlining 12 specific demands, including the right to form independent trade unions, decent work conditions, safe workplaces, and rationing facilities for low-income workers.

The plan for the rally was announced earlier on April 22 by BNP Standing Committee Member Nazrul Islam Khan, who said the programme aimed to mobilise mass participation and present a clear set of demands on behalf of the country’s workers.