Several thousand Bangladeshi restaurant workers living in Britain will have to go to work on the holy Eid-ul-Azha day. Day off will not be available even on Eid.

There are thousands of Bangladeshi workers in this sector. Unfortunately, they have to work all day except for the time of prayer on Eid.  No overtime or any other benefits are given for this. Bangladeshi owners also deprive them of the joy of Eid with their own families.  As there is no rights-based organisation of Bangladeshi restaurant workers, the owner organisations are also silent on this issue. They have continued this inhumane situation, citing the fact that there is no public holiday on Eid in Britain. Bangladeshi restaurant workers get one day off a week and Christmas day. Their request is that they should be given leave for at least two Eids.

Most of the restaurants are owned by Bangladeshis, but the workers are forced to go to work as they keep them open even on Eid on the pretext of declining business. Regarding this, for several years, various organisations have given various programmes to demand leave of the workers on the day of Eid, but the situation has not changed. However, some restaurant owners have been voluntarily closing on Eid for many years.

According to various statistics, the number of Bangladeshi-owned restaurants and takeaways in Britain is about 10,000. These restaurant businessmen have made a huge contribution to Britain for various reasons, including the independence war in Bangladesh. 

95% of Bangladeshi-owned restaurants in Britain are closed every year on Christmas Day, the main religious festival for Christians. But 98 percent of the owners and workers of the same business establishments are Muslims. If the restaurant is closed on the day of Eid, it is kept open due to the fear that it may have a negative impact on the business. As a result, a large number of Bangladeshis involved in the restaurant industry are deprived of the opportunity to celebrate the joy of Eid with their family members on the day of Eid.

Saidul Islam, General Secretary of the UK-Bangla Press Club and United Kingdom Correspondent of Prothom Alo said that on August 8, 2013, a social organisation called Friends Helping Society formed a human chain in front of the East London Mosque on the day of Eid-ul-Fitr to demand a holiday for restaurant workers in Britain. Although different individuals or organisations spoke separately before this, this was the first formal programme to demand the Eid holiday. On that day, under the leadership of the organisation's president Shah Alam and general secretary Saidul Islam, after the Eid congregation, the banner was hung in front of the East London Mosque to attract the attention of restaurant owners and common people. Senior journalist Syed Nahas Pasha, editor of Kari Life, attended the human bond and expressed solidarity. After that, restaurant chef and cultural activist Abu Taher Aziz tried to make everyone aware of the demand for the Eid holiday by making small dramas on Facebook. We have been publishing regular news in various newspapers for at least seven years before Eid.

Farhad Hossain Tipu, the leader of the Bangladeshi restaurant owner organisation in Britain, said, "Eid is not a public holiday in Britain. Efforts have been underway for several years to declare the day a public holiday. If that demand is implemented, restaurant owners will also be forced to give leave to workers on that day.