Protest Held Outside UN Headquarters in New York by US Unit of Jatiya Sramik League

The US chapter of the Jatiya Sramik League, affiliated with Bangladesh’s Awami League, held a protest outside the United Nations headquarters in New York on Thursday, September 24, calling for the withdrawal of restrictions imposed on the Awami League and the workers’ organization.

The protest took place in front of the UN headquarters in Manhattan as world leaders and delegations gathered in New York for the UN General Assembly.

Nazmul Alam Romen, a member of the executive committee of the central Jatiya Sramik League, attended the event as the chief guest.

The rally was chaired by Kazi Azizul Haque Khokon, president of the US chapter of the Jatiya Sramik League, while its general secretary, Jewel Ahmed, moderated the program.

Addressing the gathering, speakers alleged that the Bangladesh government imposed restrictions on the activities of the Awami League and its affiliated and associated organizations through an executive order following the political change on August 5, 2024.

They also alleged that the activities of the Jatiya Sramik League were restricted despite protections for freedom of association and trade union rights under International Labour Organization conventions.

The speakers cited ILO Convention No. 87, which recognizes freedom of association and the right to organize, and Convention No. 98, which provides protections related to the right to organize and collective bargaining.

They called on the Bangladesh government to review and withdraw the restrictions, arguing that the measures violate internationally recognized labour rights.

The protesters also alleged that the headquarters of the Awami League and the Jatiya Sramik League at 23 Bangabandhu Avenue in Dhaka had been burned and destroyed. They further claimed that offices of several workers’ unions affiliated with the Jatiya Sramik League had been shut down and that thousands of workers and party activists had lost their jobs.

Speakers also alleged that workers and activists had been killed or injured in attacks and that others were being subjected to harassment through what they described as politically motivated cases.

The organizers called for the restrictions on the Awami League to be lifted and for the ban on the activities of the Jatiya Sramik League to be withdrawn, citing Bangladesh’s obligations under international labour standards.

Among those attending the protest were US Jatiya Sramik League leaders MA Alam Biplob, Laskar Moyzur Rahman Jewel, Abdur Razzaq Anwar, Mohammad Motaleb Hossain and Saidul Islam.