Workers across the world cheer in unison when May 1 comes around. For most of them, it’s a day-long break from the bother of their jobs, a chance to have a guilt-free lazy slouch in their couches at home or go on an outing with friends.
Each year, individual employees and labour unions mark the International Workers’ Day (or Labour Day as it’s called in some countries) with workshops, speeches and special events celebrating the achievements of workers in their countries. The International Labour Organization (ILO) holds marches in the world’s major cities, and Google puts up a doodle on its search page that lets us remember what day it is, lest we forget.
While Workers’ Day allows many an escape from the weekly grind, it’s actually meant to celebrate a different kind of freedom: the right to not be exploited at tedious jobs for much longer than is healthy. There’s a not-too-cosy history behind its observance, one which invites us to reflect on the state of work.
Workers’ Day: A Brief History
It all began in 19th century America when industrialists hadn’t as much the respect for their employees’ rights as they might today. Factory workers often had to sweat it out on their jobs for up to 15 hours a day. Working conditions were typically abysmal, and the pay seldom compensated for the deprivation workers had to endure. In time they revolted, and the authorities were forced to deal with employers’ exploitative tendencies.
But the reforms didn’t come on a platter. Beginning on May 1, 1886, employees in several US cities embarked on a strike to protest the long working hours. On the third day of that month, the protests turned violent when policemen opened fire on a gathering of members of the labour movement in Chicago. The shots came after a bomb detonated in the policemen’s midst had killed some of them.
That incident, now known as the Haymarket affair, is remembered today as a crucial point in the story of the labour movement in America. Despite the resistance they faced earlier on, the workers were able to force the adoption of the now standard 8 hour workday by employers. Labour unions were formed elsewhere in the world and began to take action to improve their members’ working conditions.
Issues Closer to Home
Nigeria has had its own labour issues to contend with. There were a number of confrontations between blue collar workers and their British overlords in the country’s colonial era (sometimes resulting in the loss of lives) and several more in the decades following its independence. Labour unions in these parts insist that the battle for an improvement in workers’ welfare continues even today.
And there are big challenges staring labour in the face even now. Low wages, exploitative employment ‘contracts’ and a general ignorance of the legal rights and duties of all parties involved in employer-employee relations have made it extremely difficult for many to keep up with the demands of their jobs.
While we battle with these problems, a more threatening one is coming up on our horizons: automation. In the next few decades, tens of thousands of jobs will be rendered obsolete as technology encroaches on spheres once thought to be the exclusive preserve of humans. Most people might think that it’s still an issue for the first world alone, but there’s evidence that it’s already beginning to impact the job landscape in less developed countries as well.
These present and future realities may cause much despair among the working class. But on International Workers’ Day, we’re reminded that it’s always possible to reverse the dimmest of outlooks. It’s a message many workers will gladly take to heart.
Featured image source: IndiaCelebrating.com