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| Labor Day |
Apart from the government, different trade and labour unions, human rights organisations, professional bodies, socio-cultural bodies and political parties will observe the day in a befitting manner by holding rallies, seminars, discussions and cultural programmes throughout the country. PTV and other private television channels will air special programmes on the day while various newspapers would publish special supplements on the occasion.
The Labour Day originated after the labour movement of the US on May 1, 1886. Some labour organisations of the country had demanded an eight-hour working day instead of 10, 12 or 14 hours prevalent at that time. There was carnage in the Haymarket Square in Chicago on May 4 as a rebel threw a bomb in the area, which killed nearly 12 people, including police officers.
The rebels did not find urgent results, but gained success gradually when the demand for an eight-hour working day was met. It became a standard in many countries around the world.
However, in Pakistan, a large number of labourers come to the provincial capital daily from surrounding areas in search of work, many of them totally unaware of the importance of the Labour Day.
Talking to Daily Times, a labourer, Bashir, said that he lived in Ali Raza Abad, an area close to Lahore, and travels to the city on a daily basis in search of work. Talking about May Day, he said he was not familiar with the importance of the day and even if the day was observed worldwide, he had nothing to do with it. “I prefer to go to work and earn a living rather than observing this day and wasting my time,” he said. Another labourer, Waheed, a resident of southern Punjab said, “I am here just to concentrate on my work. This day may aim at raising voice in favour of labourers rights but what about the whole of the year”.
