Safety crisis overshadows May Day
Despite official celebrations and promises, May Day 2026 is being marked by rising workplace deaths, weak protections, and growing doubts over whether Bangladesh’s workers are safer than a year ago.
While the government reiterated its commitment to workers’ rights, safety and welfare, rights groups and labour leaders warned that the situation in workplaces is worsening, with 96 workers killed and more than a thousand injured in workplace incidents in 2025 alone, raising fresh questions about enforcement, accountability and the effectiveness of current protection measures.
This year’s theme, “Healthy workers, productive hands; a new dawn awaits,” was adopted as the country grappled with data showing workplace casualties are on the rise, trade union rights remain constrained, and the vast majority of the country’s workforce remains outside the protection of any organised labour structure.
President Mohammed Shahabuddin, in a message on the eve of the day, called the 2026 theme timely and stressed the importance of ensuring workers’ rights, safety, and social protection to build a prosperous Bangladesh.
At a discussion organised by the Human Rights Support Society (HRSS) at the National Press Club in Dhaka on the eve of May Day, speakers presented data suggesting a worsening safety situation for workers.
HRSS Executive Director Ijazul Islam said 96 workers were killed in 260 workplace incidents in 2025, while 1,021 were injured and 168 died on the job.
He added that in the first three months of 2026 alone, 30 workers were killed and 573 injured in 139 incidents, warning of an upward trend in casualties, including a sharp spike in March.
The discussion also turned to the effectiveness of government welfare measures.
Nagorik Oikya president Mahmudur Rahman Manna questioned whether initiatives such as worker cards and family cards are providing meaningful support to intended beneficiaries.
Citing reported irregularities, including claims that 15 percent of family cards were held by ineligible recipients, he said “card-based politics” cannot replace concrete welfare delivery.
Structural weaknesses in the labour market were also highlighted.
Former lawmaker and labour leader Shah Md Abu Jafor noted that around 96 percent of Bangladesh’s workforce remains in the unorganised sector, leaving most workers outside formal protections.
Speakers argued that this lack of organisation weakens accountability and limits access to basic rights and services.
Rabeya Islam, deputy director of Karmojibi Nari, raised concerns about a declining presence of women workers in garment factories and the inadequacy of protections for those who remain — a troubling sign for an industry that has long been both a source of women’s economic empowerment and a site of exploitation.
Other participants drew attention to inequality in access to healthcare and declining protections for women workers, particularly in the garment sector.
Labour leaders also reflected on historical contributions of workers in major national movements, arguing that their role has not been matched by equitable benefits.
