Dhaka– Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday issued a strong message of solidarity with Bangladesh’s working class, promising to restore the country’s “golden days of prosperity” and vowing to continue the fight against what she described as an illegal regime that has plunged the nation into crisis.
In her statement marking May Day, Hasina addressed the current hardships faced by workers and farmers, accusing anti-state conspirators of seizing power unlawfully on August 5 of last year. She said the takeover has devastated the livelihoods of countless citizens across all sectors, especially those whose labor helped build a self-reliant Bangladesh.
“Since the illegal usurpation of power, factory after factory has been shut down, industries have been looted and set ablaze, and millions have lost their jobs,” Hasina said. “Unemployment is soaring, and prices have become unbearable. Many workers didn’t receive their wages or bonuses even during Eid. Those who demanded their rights were met with bullets from private militias. Some have been driven to suicide.”
Offering greetings to “all working and toiling people” in Bangladesh and across the globe, Hasina emphasized that it is the labor of the working class that built the foundations of the country’s prosperity. She recalled her party’s long-standing commitment to workers’ rights, citing the Awami League’s legacy as a political force founded to uplift the oppressed and inspired by the ideals of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
“Whenever the Awami League has been in power, we have worked to improve the lives of workers,” she said. “We introduced maternity leave and legal protections against sexual harassment for female workers. We created the Bangladesh Workers Welfare Foundation to provide support for workplace accidents, serious illness, and education for workers’ children. We also established a central fund to assist workers in the export-oriented garment sector and increased salaries and benefits across industries.”
Hasina also highlighted Bangladesh’s strengthened cooperation with the International Labour Organization (ILO) under her government and reaffirmed the Awami League’s historic bond with the working class, forged during the nation’s independence movement and Liberation War.
“Our workers carry a proud legacy of courage, unity, and resistance in the fight for justice,” she said. “May Day continues to inspire us in this struggle. I extend my deepest respect to all the workers of Bangladesh. Together, we will defeat this darkness. Together, we will bring back the golden days of prosperity.”
Framing the current political climate as a turning point, Hasina called on workers and farmers to remain united and stand with the Awami League in its mission to “oust the illegal occupiers” and restore the original vision for the country. (Source: IANS)
