The historic May Day was observed across the country like elsewhere in the world today with a fresh call to establish the rights of workers and free them from exploitation. Tens of thousands of working people of the country along with rest of the world joined street rallies and other activities to raise their voices for ensuring their rights and upholding spirit of the May Day. Worker groups and trade unions, political parties, different government and socio-cultural and professional organizations arranged different programmes to observe the day with the theme ‘Let us forge worker-owner unity and build a Sonar Bangla’. The programmes included seminars, discussions meetings, colorful rallies and cultural functions from where the participants called for upholding labour rights and ensuring workplace safety. The day is observed across the world every year since 1886 commemorating the supreme sacrifice of workers at the Hay Market in the United States to establish the rights of eight-hour working day and uphold the rights of working class. Our Barisal Correspondent reports: People of Barisal and its adjoining districts observed the Historic May Day with a fresh vow to establish socio-economic rights of the workers and demanding their safety in workplaces. Different political parties, cultural and trade union organizations including Deputy Commissioner observed the day through various programmes, which included discussion meetings, rally, human chain, processions and cultural functions. In Sylhet: The day was observed amid huge enthusiasm with a fresh call for ensuring just wages, just working period, human rights, safety and workplace security of the working people everywhere. The district administration with different workers’, labourers’, professionals’, socio-cultural, political and volunteer and human rights’ organisations observed the day through day-long programmes. The programmes include hoisting of the national, organisational and red flags, colourful rallies, processions, human chains, serving improved diets to the workers, discussions and colourful cultural functions in the city. In Magura: The Historic May Day was observed in a befitting manner. Different workers organizations observed the day with rally, discussion meeting and cultural function. In the morning district administration arranged a rally in the town. In Sirajganj: The Day was observed amid with huge enthusiasm. Different workers organisaitons arranged a rally marking the day. A discussion was held on behalf of CNG Auto-rickshaw Workers organisation where Local Lawmaker Professor Dr M Habibe Millat, among others, delivered speech. In Khagrachhari: The district administration arranged a rally marking the Day. At the end of the rally, a meeting was held where District Administrator M Wahiduzzaman, among others, addressed. Besides, the Historic May Day was also observed in other districts of the country including Lalmonirhat, Zhenidah, Bagerhat, Comilla, Natore, Thakurgaon, Barguna, Noakhali, Dinajpur, Faridpur, Lakhimpur, Chittagong, Nilphamari, Chuadanga, Pabna, Narayanganj, Narail, Patuakhali, Sherpur, Jamalpur, Gopalganj, Meherpur and Gazipur. –BSS, Dhaka
