Dhaka Board-2007 - English (Compulsory) 1st Paper
Read the passage carefully and answer the questions following it.
May 1st, International Workers’ Day, commemorates the historic struggle of working people throughout the world, and is recognized in most countries. All the privileges workers enjoy today - a minimum wage, safety laws and eight-hour workday - came about due to the sacrifice of the workers in 1886. On May 3, 1886, police fired into a crowd of strikers at the McComick Harvest Machine Company, Chicago, killing at least one striker, seriously wounding five or six others and injuring an undetermined number.
From the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, people in factories have worked very long shifts, lasting up to fourteen or even more hours a day. In the 1880s a new movement calling for an eight-hour day inspired both Labour Unions and unorganized workers.
The events of May Day 1886 is a reminder that workers will continue to be exploited until they stand up and speak out to gain better working conditions, better pay and better lives.