Today is May 1st which is universally declared as Labour Day. Labour Day has been observed across the world with the concept dating back to over a century. The Labour Day story in its true sense starts from May 1, 1886 when a genuine labour organisation residing in USA demanded an 8-hour work against an 8-hour recreation and an 8-hour rest.
This demand obviously was not acceptable to the plunderers of the labourers. Therefore the labourers and their organisations eventually went on strike and a procession was conducted on 1st May. Chaos became the part of the occasion when a rebel threw a bomb in the area. Nearly 12 people including few police officers killed and about 100 people were wounded.
That whole campaign did help the labourers, though they were not able to get an urgent gain, but they knew they will achieve success in the time to come, when an 8-hour working day established as a reality, it became standard in many countries around the world.
'Labour Day' was therefore selected as a day for rallies, processions and speeches. 'Labour Day' is one of the most important off-days in United States, Russia and other socialist nations.
In Pakistan, India, and almost in whole of Asia 'Labour Day' is being observed as a public holiday. On this day, processions are taken out, speeches are uttered, local political parties, NGO's and other organisations hold public gatherings, and print and electronic media telecast and publish special features regarding labourers and their pains.
Apart from the history, what is important to know is what lead and caused the labourers of that time to stood up for their right, raised their voices and present their demand in front of their owners; whether the reasons were unjust, atrociousness by the then owners, disparity in profit distribution among labourers and their owners, forced-labour, loss of human dignity, encroachment on labourers-land etc or was there any other reason and cause behind their problems and difficulties.
Then comes the answer along with a whole new bunch of hard-core, thought-provoking, intellectual, brainy questions. Obviously a human being doesn't like to lose his dignity, he wants to be treated as a human and not an animal, he wants his due desires to be fulfilled, he wants to do his work by his own will and not by force, he wants to be respected, duly paid, and be cared.
When the 8-hour day campaign was accepted all the above mentioned problems were resolved to some extent but for the time being, now the question is whether the same is being adopted for present-day labourers.
ILO (International Labour Organistion) is trying its level best to ensure that the labourers are getting their due reward, share of their hard-work and sweat. According to my perception this is not being done at least in Pakistan, where I live surrounded by many labourers waiting on the pedestrian paths for the people, to be taken for the labour.
In Pakistan the scenario is far more different as compared to the international perspective of the labour or the labourer. Here the people engaged in labour are somewhat in distress and do their labour half-heartedly just to cope up with their daily house expenditure. They have far crossed the line to be treated as a dignified human being; they just now want daily expenditures to be covered up in one way or another even the masses looted them by not giving the due reward of their work.
This all is because of the ignorance of not only the government but also the masses; the NGO's shouting labour-related slogans, and other such organisations.
Pakistan is a country where the labour policies despite being scripted in the book of law are not being implemented in their true spirit, child-labour is the most ill-famed case in this regard.
Children since uneducated, young-aged, untrained and above all tattily available are being victimised in the most terrible way. They are being employed on jobs ranging from small stitching of clothes or sports stuff to the high-level heavy duty machinery operating jobs; just take a look, one will definitely witness children, either by force or on their own will, being employed on jobs not meant for them.
Important to mention is that child labour is not the only labour-related problem, even aged men and women are also not spared from this menace e.g. builders employing labourers to build multistory buildings don't adopt safety measures, thus causing life lose and eventually the lose of a source of income for the labourer's-family just pushing them more deep into the poverty.
What all this represent is another episode or repetition of May 1886 revolution but how can it be achieved and why should it be carried out? When political parties, highly acclaimed NGOs are available for this cause, fact is they are not doing their part of the job, how can a dispute be solved by bringing out a procession of affluent’s lead by affluent’s excluding the labourers, to mark a day meant for the labourers rights.
What is needed is the prompt implementation of the labour policies. Another atrocity which prevails in the society is the bonded-labour, which binds the labourer and he eventually loses his each and every basic right.
I do admit that Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani's recent decision of keeping the minimum wage of Rs7000 is a great step forward in this regard, but will this amount cater the needs of a family in this recent economically recessive scenario. Implementation of laws in their true nature and spirit, defying all the pressure is the most important asset of a nation.
The European countries, far better, have a fund for the students or individuals who are unemployed, until they become employed they get a handsome amount to live their life decently, to pay their fees in their institutions. We have Bait-ul-Maal but the need is to use it effectively for the welfare of the people.
In a nutshell, the most pivotal aspect is that what is being said for the labourer-class should be implemented with each and every word converted into a fact. Each dream that is dreamt should be brought into a reality; constructing flyovers, beautifying the city or the country is not the main issue unless there are lively, healthy, contended people available to live in those cities.
I salute all the efforts being done up till now by the present government and any of the past governments for the labour-class but all of this is not enough. Further steps must be taken, policies should be initiated, government's poverty alleviation programme must include some labourer-related regulations, as they are also the most poverty affected class of the society.
Furthermore, all the labour-related laws should be modified keeping in mind the current scenario. The Labour-Day must be observed in a way where the labourers feel relaxed, otherwise it will be just another day for the labour.
In a nutshell, the most pivotal aspect is that what is being said for labourer class should be implemented with each and every word converted into a fact. Each dream that is dreamt should be brought into a reality; constructing flyovers, beautifying the city or the country is not the main issue unless there are lively, healthy, contended people available to live in those cities. Healthy people make a healthy society indeed and no doubt this law is present in almost all the developed countries. On the labour day we must strive hard to make sure that for a labourer its not another day for labour. They are humans think about their prosperity as you think about your self without any discrimination. They are uneducated think of giving them just the basic knowledge and education. At least pay them a salary that copes up their daily house expenditures in a decent, humble, respectable way.
This demand obviously was not acceptable to the plunderers of the labourers. Therefore the labourers and their organisations eventually went on strike and a procession was conducted on 1st May. Chaos became the part of the occasion when a rebel threw a bomb in the area. Nearly 12 people including few police officers killed and about 100 people were wounded.
That whole campaign did help the labourers, though they were not able to get an urgent gain, but they knew they will achieve success in the time to come, when an 8-hour working day established as a reality, it became standard in many countries around the world.
'Labour Day' was therefore selected as a day for rallies, processions and speeches. 'Labour Day' is one of the most important off-days in United States, Russia and other socialist nations.
In Pakistan, India, and almost in whole of Asia 'Labour Day' is being observed as a public holiday. On this day, processions are taken out, speeches are uttered, local political parties, NGO's and other organisations hold public gatherings, and print and electronic media telecast and publish special features regarding labourers and their pains.
Apart from the history, what is important to know is what lead and caused the labourers of that time to stood up for their right, raised their voices and present their demand in front of their owners; whether the reasons were unjust, atrociousness by the then owners, disparity in profit distribution among labourers and their owners, forced-labour, loss of human dignity, encroachment on labourers-land etc or was there any other reason and cause behind their problems and difficulties.
Then comes the answer along with a whole new bunch of hard-core, thought-provoking, intellectual, brainy questions. Obviously a human being doesn't like to lose his dignity, he wants to be treated as a human and not an animal, he wants his due desires to be fulfilled, he wants to do his work by his own will and not by force, he wants to be respected, duly paid, and be cared.
When the 8-hour day campaign was accepted all the above mentioned problems were resolved to some extent but for the time being, now the question is whether the same is being adopted for present-day labourers.
ILO (International Labour Organistion) is trying its level best to ensure that the labourers are getting their due reward, share of their hard-work and sweat. According to my perception this is not being done at least in Pakistan, where I live surrounded by many labourers waiting on the pedestrian paths for the people, to be taken for the labour.
In Pakistan the scenario is far more different as compared to the international perspective of the labour or the labourer. Here the people engaged in labour are somewhat in distress and do their labour half-heartedly just to cope up with their daily house expenditure. They have far crossed the line to be treated as a dignified human being; they just now want daily expenditures to be covered up in one way or another even the masses looted them by not giving the due reward of their work.
This all is because of the ignorance of not only the government but also the masses; the NGO's shouting labour-related slogans, and other such organisations.
Pakistan is a country where the labour policies despite being scripted in the book of law are not being implemented in their true spirit, child-labour is the most ill-famed case in this regard.
Children since uneducated, young-aged, untrained and above all tattily available are being victimised in the most terrible way. They are being employed on jobs ranging from small stitching of clothes or sports stuff to the high-level heavy duty machinery operating jobs; just take a look, one will definitely witness children, either by force or on their own will, being employed on jobs not meant for them.
Important to mention is that child labour is not the only labour-related problem, even aged men and women are also not spared from this menace e.g. builders employing labourers to build multistory buildings don't adopt safety measures, thus causing life lose and eventually the lose of a source of income for the labourer's-family just pushing them more deep into the poverty.
What all this represent is another episode or repetition of May 1886 revolution but how can it be achieved and why should it be carried out? When political parties, highly acclaimed NGOs are available for this cause, fact is they are not doing their part of the job, how can a dispute be solved by bringing out a procession of affluent’s lead by affluent’s excluding the labourers, to mark a day meant for the labourers rights.
What is needed is the prompt implementation of the labour policies. Another atrocity which prevails in the society is the bonded-labour, which binds the labourer and he eventually loses his each and every basic right.
I do admit that Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani's recent decision of keeping the minimum wage of Rs7000 is a great step forward in this regard, but will this amount cater the needs of a family in this recent economically recessive scenario. Implementation of laws in their true nature and spirit, defying all the pressure is the most important asset of a nation.
The European countries, far better, have a fund for the students or individuals who are unemployed, until they become employed they get a handsome amount to live their life decently, to pay their fees in their institutions. We have Bait-ul-Maal but the need is to use it effectively for the welfare of the people.
In a nutshell, the most pivotal aspect is that what is being said for the labourer-class should be implemented with each and every word converted into a fact. Each dream that is dreamt should be brought into a reality; constructing flyovers, beautifying the city or the country is not the main issue unless there are lively, healthy, contended people available to live in those cities.
I salute all the efforts being done up till now by the present government and any of the past governments for the labour-class but all of this is not enough. Further steps must be taken, policies should be initiated, government's poverty alleviation programme must include some labourer-related regulations, as they are also the most poverty affected class of the society.
Furthermore, all the labour-related laws should be modified keeping in mind the current scenario. The Labour-Day must be observed in a way where the labourers feel relaxed, otherwise it will be just another day for the labour.
In a nutshell, the most pivotal aspect is that what is being said for labourer class should be implemented with each and every word converted into a fact. Each dream that is dreamt should be brought into a reality; constructing flyovers, beautifying the city or the country is not the main issue unless there are lively, healthy, contended people available to live in those cities. Healthy people make a healthy society indeed and no doubt this law is present in almost all the developed countries. On the labour day we must strive hard to make sure that for a labourer its not another day for labour. They are humans think about their prosperity as you think about your self without any discrimination. They are uneducated think of giving them just the basic knowledge and education. At least pay them a salary that copes up their daily house expenditures in a decent, humble, respectable way.
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