Shahbag Protest Demands Job Regularisation and 30k Minimum Wage
Outsourcing workers gathered in Dhaka's Shahbag to demand job regularisation and the implementation of seven key reforms. Speakers criticised past and present administrations for ignoring workers' hardships.
On August 22, 2026, a human chain protest was organised by the Bangladesh Outsourcing Employee Welfare Council in front of the National Museum at Shahbag in Dhaka. The demonstration brought together workers to press for the regularisation of their jobs and the fulfillment of a comprehensive seven-point charter of demands concerning their employment conditions and financial security.
Addressing the gathering, Bachchu Bhuiyan highlighted the long-standing nature of the grievances, noting that these seven demands are not new and had previously been raised during the tenure of the Awami League government. He criticised political dynamics by stating that whoever comes to power fails to listen to the grievances of employees and working-class people, nor do they take their ongoing sufferings into consideration.
Bhuiyan further directed criticism at the current political landscape, asserting that much like the previous administration, the BNP is operating in a similar manner since assuming power. He directly called upon authorities to accept the seven-point charter and urged them to establish a minimum wage of 30,000 taka, pointing out that a family cannot survive on the current amount of 12,500 taka, and demanded an end to ongoing discrimination against outsourcing staff.
Taslima Akhter, representing the Ganos সংহতি Andolan (Ganoshati Andolan), also spoke at the event and expressed disappointment over the persistence of structural disparities. She stated that the public had anticipated a discrimination-free Bangladesh where no temporary workers would remain in government institutions, yet these inequalities still persist alongside ongoing job losses for staff in public offices.
The protest underscored the precarious situation faced by approximately six million outsourcing employees across various sectors, whose livelihoods are impacted by low remuneration and lack of job security. Speakers at the Shahbag demonstration reiterated that authorities must take immediate cognizance of these pressing demands to resolve the systemic discrimination affecting thousands of workers nationwide.
The gathering at the National Museum concluded with renewed warnings from labour representatives that protests would continue unless concrete steps are taken to address the core demands, including the upward revision of wages to 30,000 taka and the permanent absorption of temporary personnel into official state structures.
