In honor of the hardworking men and women
Today, we honor the hardworking men and women who put themselves on the frontline to keep businesses and the economy moving.
The celebration of Labor Day traces its origin to a dark chapter in the struggles of the working class for better terms and conditions of employment. What began as a peaceful rally to support workers striking for an eight-hour workday in Chicago, USA, turned into a massacre on that fateful day in May 1886. After the police killed and injured several workers, an unknown person threw a dynamite bomb at the police as they attempted to disperse the meeting, resulting in a huge blast and gunfire, which caused the deaths of police officers and civilian fatalities and dozens of wounded. The sad irony is that all the victims were workers who defended opposing interests: labor, capital, and the government, which were supposed to level the playing field.
The tragic deaths of the workers and police officers sparked an international movement among laborers and the working classes. The May 1 celebration coincides with International Workers’ Day, also known as May Day.
The workers in 1886 primarily fought for an eight-hour workday as they were required to work for long hours without adequate compensation. For centuries, the labor movement has improved working conditions since many of the workers’ complaints sincethe workers’ complaints are now addressed by legislation. The workers’ right to self-organization has been enshrined in our labor laws and included among the state policies in our Constitution.
The present-day struggle of the workers is their fight for a living wage, among others. While wages remain stagnant for years, the prices of essential commodities have continuously increased, making the worker’s minimum wage a pittance for hard work.
But employers, especially the small and medium-sized enterprises, are not immune to harsh economic conditions. SMEs and even big businesses face the challenges of unfavorable market conditions, the COVID 19, onerous taxation, high cost of production, and many more.
The most desirable relation between labor and capital is for both forces to work together for labor and business productivity, ensuring that both receive the blessings of their hard workand investment. This situation is not always the case.
We have witnessed the workers launchstrikes from their arsenal of dreaded weapons while management countered the strikes with the exercise of the right to fire workers from its armory of management prerogatives.
Where does the government stand in the crossfire?
It is supposed to level the playing field, to protect the weak but favor none. The hallmark of good governance is industrial peace. Every time we see a nasty strike resulting in violence, it is evident that there is a failure of governance, and those in whose hands government power is entrusted may have succumbed to incompetence or corruption.