On a cold, damp day on 4 May 1886, a procession of workers moved through central Chicago, driven by the harsh treatment they had endured at the hands of the capitalists. Chanting the powerful slogan, “Eight hours for work, eight hours for rest, eight hours for what we will,” the workers marched with determination. As the crowd grew, so did the tension. Police began to confront the increasingly agitated workers, and soon, what was meant to be a peaceful protest escalated into chaos.
A bomb exploded, and gunfire rang through the air. Eleven people were killed and hundreds injured in the aftermath. The organisers of the movement were arrested and put through a controversial trial, ultimately sentenced to death. The infamous Haymarket Affair became a turning point, symbolising the sacrifice and struggle of workers demanding fair treatment.
Three years later this incident was commemorated in 1889 as International Labour Day. In most countries, May Day holds a significant value for celebrating labour rights and the unions of workers.
Before 1886, in most industrial countries, workers were expected to work 12 to 16 hours with limited pay and there was no scope for any safety precautions or age limit. It emerged as a new form of serfdom as the proletariat class went from being farmers working the fields of the landlords to workers working for the capitalists in the big cities. The industrial revolution kicked off the competitive race between different countries, and governments seemed too busy to consider any distractions, let alone workers’ rights.
After almost a century, the sacrifices of those workers were rewarded with a recognition of eight-hour work shifts in the US. 1938: In the U.S., the Fair Labour Standards Act (FLSA) was passed, which established the 8-hour workday as a legal standard for most workers. It set the maximum standard workweek at 40 hours (eight hours per day, five days a week) and regulated minimum wages and overtime pay for workers who worked beyond 40 hours per week.
Even today, it would be unrealistic to think that the standards of work have improved compared to the 19th century. Whenever a new nation tries its hand at development and industrialisation, it has to tackle the same old issues of reconciling workers’ rights with the greed of the bourgeoisie.
In Bangladesh, the significant wave of labour mobilisation took place in the 1980s when the RMG sector was privatised and independent small companies were set up all around Dhaka. Given the demographics, most of our workers involved in that industry are women. Even though Bangladesh now stands among the second-largest exporters of RMGs, the working conditions of the factories were under scrutiny. Bangladesh has seen its fair share of tragedies; from the Tajrin Fashion fires in 2012 to the Rana Plaza massacre in 2013, the working class in this country could not achieve any more rights than just one-time compensation as a token of our disregard. The cases of both these incidents are still being tried, and the slow-moving processes of our legal system carry the burden of the lives ruined by the negligence of the whole system.
The bourgeoisie today still act as if they are the masters of their slave proletariats. Finding excuses here and there to delay wages, keep away from union negotiations and deny a fair living wage to the labourers who break their back running their factories. The minimum wage was set at Tk12,500 for RMS workers in 2023. Ignoring the fact that this is well below a living wage, most factories are not even providing this much today. The country also witnessed the plight of the workers before last Eid, when lack of orders was given as an excuse to pause their wages and Eid bonuses.
The limited rights enjoyed by the labourers were not granted without struggle. Many a time, workers had to unite and stand against the elite to earn their place at the negotiating table. In 2025, the need to unionise and stand for their rights is as important as ever before, especially in a rapidly urbanising Bangladesh. The message for Bangladesh remains clear: in order for the workers to take what is theirs, they need to stand – stand for not only their rights but also for the rights of the next generation. As Karl Marx so elegantly put it,“ “Workers of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains.”