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The message of May Day

M ARSHAD ALI
***The May Day, we know, originated from industrial activities and by following suit of its glorious tradition it brings for us Bangladeshis the message that industrialisation that is harbinger of benefits to the entire nation should be attained without fail. So the message is for all the three partners of industrial production -- the workers, the management and the government with the third predominating though not directly involved always. It is the government that is the prime mover in establishing law and order, fostering the growth of honest trade unionism, creating peaceful industrial relations, stultifying default loan culture, and above all in effecting transparency and accountability in the administration, management and leadership of the industrial units.***
ODAY the voice that you are choking, a day will come when this voice will be more bold and vibrant," Augustus Spice declared just before his execution by hanging on 11th November, 1887 known as 'Black Friday' while the Sheriff of the city Matson was present with more than 200 persons witnessing the tragic scene. What a bold assertion of one's conviction! Conviction is stronger than strength. Stronger did it prove in case of Augustus Spice, one of the heroes who sacrificed their lives to establish the rights of the working people all over the
globe. Augustus Spice was sentenced to death by hanging
because of his and some of his friends' leading the labour movement that demanded the fixation of 8-hour working day, end of inhuman torture on the workers and of the subhuman conditions of work places. Augustus' voice did not quiver at the torment of imminent death, he was rather bold laughing and saying the words stated above. His was a 'spontaneous outburst of powerful feelings' of conviction in his mission. He was a 'seer', he proved prophetic. The optimism that emboldened him to face the premature death by judgement was realised literally. The day which, he foresaw, would declare more boldly
and vibrantly the voice that was then being choked, really dawned as the May Day proclaims most boldly and vibrantly the rights of the working people the world over.
Great are the achievements that follow trials and tribulations, tortures and torments, suppressions and subjugations, struggles and sufferings. The May in 1886 saw the culmination of all these pains and pitfalls engineered against the workers by the American employers who were propped up by the government of the day. Whatever the designs of false-hood and however calculating and diabolical its machination are, truth triumphs ultimately and so was it in the case of the American workers movement as it centred round a true cause the cause of putting an end to whimsical and irrational treatment of the employees by the employers, to establish set rules governing the conditions of service, to guarantee social security of the workers and to create safe healthy and congenial working environment.
The Hay Market incident on 3rd May 1886 in which six workers and a few policemen perished was the follow-up of a strike held on the 1st of May by 3,80,000 workers with the demand primarily for an 8-hour workday. This barbarous act was condemned by the celebrated English litterateur George Bernard Show, Leonard Sweat, an associ-
ate of President Abraham Lincoln along with many American lawyers and a few members of the French Parliament. The Paris Conference of International Labour, 1989 unanimously resolved to observe the 1st of May every year as 'Workers' Solidarity Day' by the working class all over the world. The observance of the May Day began since then. With the passage of time it has not only been an international event as was planned by the sponsors but has taken a universal character as the participants in the observance consist of all three sharers in the production process -- the employees, employers and government who involve within their fold all the people everywhere in the world.
Bangladesh, a member of the UNO and a signatory to the ILO Conventions, observes the May Day every year with fervour and festivity rededicating itself to the ideals of the May Day. The ideals
stood for, among others, the creation of congenial atmosphere in mills and factories and all other workplaces for workers, better conditions of service with security of job, safety of health and better standard of living, in a nutshell. The creation, sanction, guarantee and maintenance of all these, however, hinge on increased production. The production process is, therefore, to be strengthened. Painful is the grim fact that our production process is almost on the verge of collapse because of its being a victim to a variety of ills, the prominent among them being terrorism, extortion, default loan culture, dishonest trade unionism, and bureaucratic hindrance and interference, ulterior political motives, social withdrawal, blurring vision of governance etc, some of them acting jointly in cohorts while others severally. The message of the May Day is an unfaltering and immediate doing
away with all these evils, root and branch, from the production process.
The May Day has realised its prime demand - the right of 8-hour work a day - everywhere in the world. But right, we know, implies duty; otherwise, it degenerates into licence which amounts to regression of civilisation. Licence has engulfed our production process over head and ears. The exchange of the right to respite for the rest of the day spreading over 16 hours implies that the worker has to devote his eight hours without relent and respite to production so that the factory or industry he works becomes economically viable enough to support the employees, the employer and the government. The worker's level of efficiency is at the lowest in Bangladesh whereas an average Bangladeshi demonstrates a skill that compares well with the international standard
while he works abroad. What makes this difference that is causing loss to the industries and eventually to the national exchequer aggravating the misery of the teeming millions?
The efficiency level in Bangladesh is comparatively low primarily because of the failure of the management and government. They have failed to create conditions and contrive situations where the worker can do his best to reach the maximum level of his efficiency. Peaceful and congenial, not chaotic and inimical, is the environment that harnesses the energy and skill of the workers. Unfortunately enough, the sense of belonging that propels the worker to contribute his mite to his work is perhaps missing in our industries. He is not imbibed with the spirit of commitment that stimulates his Japanese or German counterpart with the avowed motto 'Produce or Perish' strict adherence
to which has glorified these two countries by achieving the enviable position of the most industrialised nations out of the rubbles of the World War II.
The trade unions that are purpose-built as watchdogs of the right of the workers have degenerated into instrument of achieving the petty personal motives of the fake labour leaders. To the neglect of their avowed objects of creating enabling environment for the workers in the interest of both increased production and welfare of the employees they oftener than not create chaos and confusion to disrupt peace and tranquility in the industries with a view to fishing in the troubled water. These leaders play stooge to the self-seeking politicians at the corridor of power to gain their mutual selfish ends at the cost of production reducing the otherwise profitable factories into losing concerns throwing cold water on the enthusiastic new entrepreneurs from home and collaboration from abroad as well as on the flow of foreign capital that are of paramount important for industrialisation of the country with all the concomitant benefits of new employment for the ever growing number of people, increase of per capital income, improvement in the standard of living of all citizens including the workers and earning a position of respect in the comity of
nations by getting rid of the stigma of 'bottomless basket'.
The May Day, we know, originated from industrial activities and by following suit of its glorious tradition it brings for us Bangladeshis the message that industrialisation that is harbinger of the aforesaid and other benefits to the entire nation should be attained without fail. So the message is for all the three partners of industrial production -- the workers, the management and the government with the third predominating though not directly involved always. It is the government that is the prime mover in establishing law and order, fostering the growth of honest trade unionism, creating peaceful industrial relations, stultifying default loan culture, and above all in effecting transparency and accountability in the administration, management and leadership of the industrial units. Our government is pledgebound to the electorate -- the people of the country who have reposed their sacred trust in it -- to achieve these objectives during its stewardship of the nation. Now it is time to deliver in response to the message delivered by the May Day.
M Arshad Ali is Inspector of Colleges (Offg), University of Dhaka.