Lucknow— On the occasion of May Day, also known as International Labour Day, the Dehadi Mazdoor Sangathan, a daily wager organization, organized a meeting in Lucknow in collaboration with the NGO Vigyan Foundation on Dewa Road near Chinhat. The program highlighted the challenges and struggles of daily wage laborers, and saw a large number of participants.

Speaking to The Mooknayak, Santosh Yadav, the State General Secretary, emphasized that the 8-hour work rule that is followed across the globe today has been made possible due to the struggles of laborers all over the world. He pointed out that in the past, laborers were made to work for 12-15 hours without a week off. It was only after the laborers initiated a movement in 1886 in the United States of America, that their voices were heard. Thousands of workers sacrificed their lives to bring attention to the issue and February 1st, 1886, became the birthdate of the eight-hour workday.

The meeting served as a celebration and a commemoration of the lives lost in the movement, and provided a platform for daily wage laborers to voice their concerns and work on finding solutions.

Labour Day: Commemorating those who sacrificed their lives for workers’ rights

During his address on Labour Day, Santosh Yadav highlighted the history of the workers' movements and struggles around the world. He noted that in 1877, workers started a movement demanding the regulation of their working hours, following which on May 1, 1886, several workers across America went on strike. Around 3,80,000 workers involved in the strike from around 11,000 factories, and during this strike, a bomb blast took place in Chicago's Hay Market. The incident resulted in the death of seven workers after the police opened fire.

Yadav added that in the second meeting of an International General Assembly held in Paris in the year 1889, a resolution was passed that took the French Revolution into consideration. This resolution called for the celebration of International Labor Day. Following the resolution, the duration of work was fixed at 8-hours in America. While working hours and days are important, the labor movements around the world have also focused on the critical issue of wages. Due to these movements, the minimum wage levels were set in different states of India. However, till today, labor organizations highlight that wages for laborers are not commensurate with the inflation rate, leading to an urgent need to address the issue.

From Madras Day to Labour Day

Ramnath, the State President of the Dehadi Mazdoor Sangathan, highlighted that the Labor Kisan Party of Hindustan in India celebrated Labor Day on May 1, 1923, in Madras. At that time, the day was celebrated as Madras Day. Today, the day is celebrated in around 80 countries, including India, as International Labour Day, and all these 80 countries have a holiday for workers.

Ramnath emphasized that it is the responsibility of all comrades to ensure that the hard-earned 8-hour work right is not taken away from them. The responsibility lies on the shoulders of organizations that are working towards protecting the rights of workers. Therefore, all labor organizations need to come together and unite to put forward their demands and fight for the rights of workers.

The demand of permanent labour addas across the state

Ramjanm Bharti, the District President of Mazdoor Sangathan, emphasized that the daily wage workers' organization has been continuously raising various demands of the workers. These demands include identifying and declaring all labor addas or the bases of the state as permanent labor bases and ensuring basic facilities like water, shade, and toilets. Additionally, the organization demands that the minimum wages of workers should be fixed at Rs 600 per day and Rs 18,000 per month, and at least Rs 6,000 should be given as monthly pension.

Bharti further noted that a large number of women work as domestic workers, and a separate board should be established for them to ensure their social security. He claimed that the Dehadi Mazdoor Sangathan is coordinating with the government to raise these demands and promote the welfare of daily wage laborers.

Arjun Vishwakarma, the Joint Minister of the organization, underlined the crucial need for workers in the unorganized sector to unite to protect their rights. He emphasized that an organized and unified workforce is the most powerful force to ensure that the rights of laborers are protected.

A significant number of women workers participated in the seminar, and several workers, including Amit Singh, Dilip Verma, Sunil Kumar, Virendra Gupta, Geeta Devi, Savita Devi, and Ramvriksha Yadav, were present. The moderation of the seminar was conducted by Guru Prasad and Amar Singh Yadav.