By; Sher Zada;
In solidarity with labor community on 1st of May International Labor Day is celebrated every year; seminars and conferences are held in every corner of the world, speakers ,politicians who have far away no connections with labor give lectures and talk about the rights of labor community. Though historically the celebration of May 1st as international Labor Day has great importance for the contribution of labor community made in driving the wheels of human economy, from construction of buildings, roads, pavements to the giant vehicles, airplanes, railways, from luxurious hotels to handcarts, labor community had has been providing services without any delay. Though admiring contributions made by the labor class is celebrated in different countries on various dates, for example in the United States and Canada traditionally tribute to workers is given on Monday in the first week of September. However worldwide international worker’s day or Labor Day is celebrated on May 1st each year as a memoire to the sacrifice and struggle made by the laborers in the city of Chicago U.S.A on 4 of May 1886, when peaceful labor protestors were charged with batons and treated with gunshots by the police, historian reveals that the protestors were demanding for 8 hours work schedule per day. Actually the issue of long working hours was raised on the occasion of yearly festival Haymarket ,where an unknown man threw a dynamite bomb at police during their push to disperse the gathering ,which ensued police to fire gunshots at the protestors that took lives of four civilians and injured several others. While cross clash seven policemen were also killed by the angered protestors.
As a reaction police arrested more than three thousands protestors under different charges of violation. Seven people were given death sentences being responsible for devising the plot of protest and the attack on police, while one was given fifteen years imprisonment sentence. The then capitalist regime blamed Haymarket affairs as socialist and anarchist conspiracy against the capitalist ethos in the U.S ,however with the passage of time the eight-hours per day work movement took support of several government officials e.g. Illinois Governor John Peter Altgeld criticized the trial against the convicted people. Thus the Haymarket Affair is generally considered significant as the origin of International Workers’ Day held on May 1.In 1887; Oregon was the first state of the United States to make it an official public holiday. By the time it became an official federal holiday in 1894, following the footsteps of labor unions thirty US states officially celebrated Labor Day. The importance of the movement spread to other countries and slogan for 8 hours daily work was raised everywhere. In light of labor rights movement advanced societies e.g. U.S, Europe and Asia (China, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore etc.) had made great progress in the provision of workers’ rights; however Pakistan that is a third world country is far away from that stage, where the rights of labor community or workers are not rightly addressed. Yes ! there is no doubt that continuously every year on 1st May promises are made ,announcement are made for ensuring rights of worker community , targets are set and starting wages of labor class are given by the government . But who will make it done? This question has been a pity since 1947; formal labor systems such as industrial plants, factories, stable business firms might have some mechanism for the wages settlement of workers doing work there. But the daily wage workers, who have been given lesser pitch in media, government’s programs and policy making, what will be their situations is on the mercy of creator. There is a lot to be done on this particular subject matter. Daily wagers are affected in every crisis situations like now, their wheels of earning have been stopped due countrywide long lock-down, they have been abandoned in the main cities, towns and villages without rations and their families are starving.
The government must take decisive actions in relieving labor community on general and the daily wagers on particular basis. This May as all kinds of seminars and conferences have been postponed due to novel COVID-19, the respected sponsors of such events should dedicate those amounts for the support of daily wagers. The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) that can play a vital role should come forward and make a general survey about the existing facts and figures of daily wagers in the country. The finance division should allocate tentative relief budget for the daily wagers. Moreover the government should bound industries to not take more than 8 hours labor from their workers, and direct the concerned industries to ensure safety of laborers both in industrial plants, field and other work environments.