In a powerful Labor Day address, ousted Bangladesh leader Sheikh Hasina painted a grim picture of her country’s workforce, accusing Muhammad Yunus’s interim regime of squandering 15 years of development. The message, posted by Awami League on social media, comes amid widespread factory closures and mass unemployment rocking the South Asian nation.
Since the political upheaval of August 2024, Hasina said, the industrial boom—particularly in garments—and agricultural advances have ground to a halt. Retaliatory actions by the Yunus government forced thousands of factories to close, displacing 2.1 million workers in a single year. Poverty has surged, with 3 million now below the line by late 2025, and the downward spiral continues.
Reflecting on her tenure, Hasina touted landmark reforms: the 2018 Labour Amendment Act, 2012 National Labour Policy for worker dignity, 2010 Child Labour Elimination Policy, 2013 Occupational Health and Safety Policy, 2015 Labour Rules, and Domestic Workers Protection Policy. These measures, inspired by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s lifelong fight for laborers, positioned Bangladesh as an economic powerhouse.
Hasina warned that sabotaging industries and farms dooms any nation’s future. ‘Awami League has always stood with workers’ rights, interests, and welfare,’ she declared, promising recovery and renewed prosperity. As May Day honors global labor struggles, Hasina’s critique underscores Bangladesh’s fragile recovery path and the urgent need for stability.
