May Day: Pay hike, safety at workplaces demanded

2 May 2010, 18:00 PM

Staff Correspondent

Historic May Day was observed in the country as elsewhere around the world on Saturday demanding safety at workplaces and pay hike for labourers at every sector. Different organisations held colourful rallies and cultural programmes and honoured the labourers for their backbreaking toil to build the nation. They also called for amending Bangladesh Labour Act, 2006 in line with a standard placed by International Labour Organisation (ILO). The organisations demanded ensuring workers' right to form trade unions, which would ensure their power of negotiation to realise the demands. Leaders of Sramik Karmachari Oikya Parishad (SKOP) at a gathering at Muktangon said deaths at workplaces have become a regular matter with about 313 fatalities taking place last year. These fatalities need to be prevented with increased safety measures at the workplaces, they added.