Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader today called for fixing eight-hour duty for workers and employees in their respective houses, offices, mills and factories across the country.

‘May Day is for establishing rights to working classes people globally . . . so all mill and factory owners must fix-up eight-hour duty for the workers,’ he told a May Day discussion on Awami League Central Office premises in Dhaka, reports BSS.

Quader, also road transport and bridges minister, raised question on observing the day ceremoniously without fixing eight-hour as duty for employees and workers in a large scale by the owners.

Jatiya Sramik League (JSL), a national trade union federation associated with Bangladesh Awami League (AL), arranged the discussion marking the May Day which is being observed nearly 80 countries across the globe.

Referring to frequent road mishaps, the minister asked all concerned to reduce stresses of transport workers in a bid to prevent accidents.

‘Besides, we have to stop child labour and also repression on them as engagement of children in different household works is inhumane acts,’ he added.

Describing the incumbent government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as labour’s friendly, Quader said when AL comes to power common people get something but if BNP assumes office the workers and employees have to suffer a lot.

‘Not only that, AL creates job opportunities and increases mills and factories, on the contrary BNP makes them (labourers) jobless and shut down mills and factories,’ the AL general secretary mentioned.

AL joint-general secretary Mahabub-ul-Alam Hanif, labour and manpower secretary Habibur Rahman Siraj, JSL general secretary Sirajul Islam, executive president Fazlul Haque Montu, Dhaka City unit of AL general secretary Shahe Alam Murad, among others, joined the discussion with JSL president Sukkur Mahmud in the chair.