Written By: Sayed Sajid Shah Bokhari
To utilize Human talent properly and exploit the resources for ones own prestige and income had always remained the top most priority of rulers in the past.
Even in the scientific period of todays world with the creation of mechanic robots the workload of human labors could not be minimized. The use of human potential by capitalist as labor is still not only cheapest but manipulation as well. From time immemorial the same pattern had beenin continuation with worst practices.
Cashing the workers output by the industrialist in 19th century had badly aggravated the society and was also major cause of deprivations and frustration for the labors, workers and peasants. The industrialists,capitalist, leoffer, acred had been in use to keep the poor bagged and defenseless. Thats why B.Russel says, man is born free but everywhere he is in chains.
Every year more than 80 countries in the world celebrate 1st May as International Labor day. The American however celebrates the day in the month of September. What is the significance of the Day and why this Day is still observed with dignity and honor? The simple answer to the question lies in hard work and struggle made by workers worldwide.
However the basic concept of the Day is quite clear to understand that this day actually represent the working class and their achievement in the society. It encouraged the efforts of working class for their work.
This Day demands respect and allegories, facilities and opportunities for them. The TIME Magazine once explained the magnitude of day, in 1929 as for the old-fashioned people, May Day means flowers, grass, picnics, children that’s why they don’t celebrate the day on 1st May. To –up- and doing socialists and communists it means speech making, parading, bombing and violence. Although May Day, 1886, had historic appearance when some 2,50,000 U.S workmen engineered a nationwide strike for an eight hours day work.
Soon the workers from other parts joined the strike and it becomes a great momentum in the history for their organized demands and wages they had option for. In Russia the labor day is called the day of international solidarity of workers or spring day.
May Day is vehemently observed in communist countries like China, Vitenam, Cuba, North korea and Russia, Hungry, Poland with great pomp and show. Actually the Day celebration means to support the cause, achievements, contribution of labors ,workers, peasants and to work for their rights and protection as well. The prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H) says , that pay the amount to workers before their sweat fall from their forehead.
The first Khalifa of Islam Hazrat Abubakr Sadique (RA)once said to the In charge of BaitulMal that increase of his pay will be conditional to the pay getting by workers and he will get the amount as much as a labor get. In fact, the only religion which stress on the rights of workers and promote their genuine demands is Islam.There are many approaches to life for explaining how to live?The Marxis theory and the philosophical approaches are followed by the socialist countries in the world as economic theories with many repercussions. However the the oryrelated to workers and peasants had defined well by our prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H)in quite different manner.
In Islam a labour deserves to be respected because he earns his livelihood by his sweat.The Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) is reported to have said your employees are your brothers upon whom Allah has given you authority.So be kind to them and treat them like your brothers.If a Muslim has another person under his control, he/she should feed them with the like of what one eats and clothe them with the like of what one wears and you should not over burden them.
So we should set example for the world to follow us. Unfortunately, we are far behind of the objectives and standards the UNO and world has fixed for the welfare of labors .Our hotels,factories, private enterprises,home servants presents worst examples of human exploitation.
The Karl Marx has explained the theory of work very clearly to say, that the value of labor power must depend on the number of labor hours.It takes in society, onaverage, to feed,clothe and shelter a worker so that he or she has the capacity to work with dignity. The magnificent building of Taj Mahal in Agra, the Burji Khalifa in UAE and the Great Wall of China took many years in completion. Just imagine how many workers lost their lives and amputated their bodies while constructing these superb buildings.The workers burn their energy and dissolved their exudation to build a nation.
We should see the plight of labors from different angles.Just see how the workers had gathered to clean the glasses on 124th floor of world largest building burji Khlifa in UAE. In the developed world the labour force could be involved in constructing heavy bridges, buildings, parks. Similarly, the workers can be seen in glass industries, coal mines industries and in brickmaking industries in the worst form of laboring but what they get at the end is dilemma? in a poor system of developing countries we need to change and review our policies. Although the Labor Day starts with the workers who stood against the demands of low wage, layoffs and firings in Chicago. But today, in many countries the black laws and exploitations of workers their exploitation has never been stopped at any level.
The 1st May rememorize us to accredit the rights of labors and consider them humans in competition for the survival of the fittest. In Pakistan the plight of labours is worst. The law and constitution of Pakistan safeguarded the rights of workers but the problem still lies at implementation level.It is a time for our leaders and policy makers to understand the problem and review their policies for the welfare of labors keeping the international standards on the top.
