Editorial
Observing May Day
The goal is to create a society where labour is given its due
THE observance of May Day is essentially a remembrance of the working men who sacrificed their lives in defence of their rights in Chicago's Hay Market long ago. In broad measure, though, it is a reassertion of the thought that equality matters in every aspect of human life, that men and women who toil day and night in search of a livelihood and decent living must be privy to all the good things that come with life. It is a fundamental truth we have known all these years. It is especially in Bangladesh that May Day takes on a huge degree of significance considering the long and insistent struggles our workers have regularly put up over the years in their enlightened interest.
May Day this year comes at a time when the world faces a steep recession, so much so that industries worldwide have either been shutting down or retrenching large numbers of their employees. For us in Bangladesh, therefore, it is of crucial importance that measures be adopted that will not only save jobs from being lost but will also create the conditions that will help accommodate the tens of thousands who happen to be unemployed. In this context, the plight of workers returning from abroad, particularly Korea, Malaysia and the Middle East, is a major concern. Their worries at losing their jobs translate into a national worry in the sense that they must be helped in finding new employment at home or abroad. Add to that the many issues which yet concern our workers in such sectors as ready made garments. These workers as well as those in other sectors of economic activity need to be reassured about a regular payment of their wages and other benefits together with assurances of better and healthy working conditions. It is here that management must come in. Empathy and skillful handling of problems are what constitute efficient management. Let that theme be held aloft this May Day.
Today, in Bangladesh, good, proper and productive industrial relations are an absolute imperative. That a nation's economy thrives when employers and employees have a healthy working relationship is a truth one cannot ignore. In the end, May Day is not merely a recalling of an occasion; it is at the same time a rekindling of social purpose, the purpose being the creation of an egalitarian society.
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