Introduction

Brothers and sisters,

Today, we stand united here in front of the National Press Club against a grave injustice. Recently, one of the largest NGOs in our country, ASA [the Association for Social Advancement], has arbitrarily dismissed thousands of its salaried employees. These workers, who have dedicated the best years of their lives to the service of rural communities, to the cause of poverty alleviation and people’s welfare, have now been thrown onto the streets—without service benefits, without gratuity, without even their due wages.

Worse still, instead of treating these workers with dignity, ASA management has humiliated them, threatened them, and portrayed them as criminals. This is not just injustice—it is a brutal act of exploitation and inhumanity.

The Background of the Problem

Dear friends,

Some of these employees have served ASA for 10 years, 15 years, 20 years, even more than 25 years. They built this institution with their sweat and blood. Without their tireless efforts in villages and towns across Bangladesh, ASA could never have grown into a giant institution that now handles projects worth billions of Taka, both from domestic and international donors.

Yet today, the very hands that created ASA’s reputation are being discarded. According to reports in national dailies, such mass dismissal of NGO workers is unprecedented in Bangladesh. At a time when the government speaks of “creating jobs,” ASA has instead destroyed thousands of livelihoods overnight, pushing thousands of families into uncertainty.

We must ask: are NGOs meant for people’s development—or are they only corporate machines serving profit and the interests of donors? If it is for development, why are the development workers themselves thrown into misery?

The Plight of the Workers

Brothers and sisters,

Losing a job is not just the problem of one individual. It affects an entire family. A dismissed worker’s children are forced to drop out of school. Family members go without healthcare. The kitchen fires of thousands of homes are extinguished.

These workers have already endured decades of hardship: long working hours, low wages, lack of leave, and enormous workloads. Yet they carried on because they believed they were serving society. Now, instead of giving them recognition, retirement benefits, or at least their lawful dues, ASA has abandoned them with empty hands.

This is not only immoral—it is illegal.

Law, Rights, and Justice

Friends,

Bangladesh’s labor law is crystal clear: any worker dismissed must be given notice, arrear wages, and full service benefits, including gratuity and other facilities. ASA has violated every aspect of this law. Instead of fulfilling obligations, it is intimidating workers, threatening them, and spreading falsehoods.

We must say in one voice: no institution, however big, can stand above the law. If the state does not intervene to protect workers’ rights, then the government’s promises of “inclusive development” will remain nothing but empty rhetoric.

The “Fake Certificate” Conspiracy

Comrades,

We now hear another cruel and calculated excuse from ASA management. Some top officials are saying: the dismissed workers’ certificates are fake, their education documents are not available online, and therefore they will receive no dues.

Let us ask:

Why did ASA suddenly wake up after 20 or 25 years to verify certificates?

Why did they not raise this issue at the time of recruitment?

Why did they wait until the workers had spent their youth, their energy, their lives for the institution?

The answer is simple: this accusation is a deliberate, malicious scheme. For more two decades, ASA fully utilized these workers, extracting every ounce of their labor. Now, when it is time to pay service benefits and retirement dues, they are fabricating excuses. This “certificate fraud” narrative is nothing but a pretext to cheat workers of their rightful earnings.

This is not just negligence—it is a calculated fraud, a betrayal, a conspiracy to rob workers of crores of Taka.

Our Demands

From this protest rally, we present our clear and uncompromising demands:

1.Immediate reinstatement of all wrongfully dismissed workers.

2.Payment of full service benefits, gratuity, and pending wages to all employees, including those retired or separated.

3.An end to intimidation, threats, and harassment of workers.

4.Recognition of trade union rights in the NGO sector, so that workers can organize and defend themselves from arbitrary dismissal in the future.

5.A government investigation into ASA’s unlawful practices and prosecution of those responsible.

We say firmly: there can be no development without justice for workers. True development comes only from the sweat and sacrifice of laborers, not from donor money or boardroom decisions.

The Broader Perspective

Brothers and sisters,

This is not only the story of ASA. This is the story of every worker in Bangladesh—garment workers, agricultural laborers, women in the factories, day laborers in the fields. Everywhere we see the same exploitation: low wages, sudden dismissals, denial of rights, unsafe conditions.

That is why this struggle is not just against one NGO. It is part of a larger struggle for the rights of all workers in Bangladesh. From the garment industry to the rural fields, we must unite. We must build one movement—strong, fearless, and uncompromising.

Conclusion

Friends and comrades,

This protest today must echo across the nation. Our voices must reach the villages, the factories, the fields, and every workplace. We declare loud and clear: the dismissed ASA workers must be reinstated immediately. Their dues must be paid in full.

And let it be known—if our demands are not met, this movement will not stop here. We will take this struggle to the courts, to the streets, and to the people—until justice is won.

Together we stand. Together we fight. Together we will win.

Thank you.

Badrul Alam
President, Bangladesh Krishok Federation
21 September 2025, Dhaka

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