Wednesday April 30, 2014
Kabul (BNA) On the first of May 1886, up to 500,000 workers staged out a protest demonstrations and strikes an several US states and rural towns to ask for their basic humanitarian rights and better compensation. Nearly 90,000 workers marched in Chicago, with almost 40,000 being strikers.
Thirty-five thousand Chicago meatpackers won the eight-hour day with no loss of pay after that strike. Ten thousand marched to Union Square in New York City.
Eleven thousand marched in Detroit. Around 20,000 protested in Baltimore, along with thousands in Milwaukee. In Louisville, 6,000 Black and white workers marched together into city parks that were officially closed to blacks. The Black press reported that the union movement had broken down the walls of prejudice.
The police resorted on force for suppressing the strikes and finally the demonstrations changed into carnage. However, in the beginning the strikes of the labors remained limited inside the US, but with the passage of time, it took international recognition. Outside the United States workers held rallies and meetings in France, Holland Russia, Germany, Italy, England and Spain. In Germany all public meetings were banned because the solidarity actions became so large and threatening. The Haymarket incident placed the US working class, especially the eight-hour day movement, at center stage of the world workers’ movement. So when the newly founded American Federation of Labor convention in 1888 announced that May, 01, 1890 would be a day when labor would enforce the eight-hour day with strikes and demonstrations, the world was listening.
Similar strikes were initiated on May, 01, 1890 then on any single date in the history of the United States up to that time. In Europe, virtually every industrial center was the place of demonstrations for the eight-hour day. Demonstrations were also held in Peru and Chile. In Havana, Cuba, the workers’ demands included the eight-hour day, equal rights for Blacks and whites, and working-class unity. The movement in short while received global appreciations and recognition and soon labor unions were started forming in various European countries. In Germany 1875, Austria 1881, Russia 1884, Bulgaria 1891, Japan 1882, Norway 1887, Denmark 1890 labor unions were founded. In 1988, two labor congresses were held in Paris. The first congress was organized by French social and reformist movement and the Paris congress also approved May 1st as international, worker’s day and the following items were unanimously approved by the participants.
1- International law of labor, legalization of working hours, extra hours works, working in off days, works of women and the elderly and most importantly child labor,
2- Inspection of small industries and domestic works.
3- Focusing on the demands of the labors.
The congress in Paris also demanded the following demands.
A: limiting the hours of normal works and declining it by 8 hours a day.
B: Banning the child labor “Child under the age of 14” and declining 8 hours to 6 hours works a day for girls and boys.
C: banning women labor in particular employment of women in those works that could impact their physic.
D: imposing ban on bargaining for compensations and salaries of labors.
In the present era, every year, May 1st is celebrated around the world as a day of international working class solidarity. Demonstrations take place from Africa to Asia, across South and North America and in Europe. These events, organized by trade unions in some countries and by revolutionary parties or governments in others, all celebrate the struggle of the international working class. It is quite important to mention that International Worker’s Day started celebrating in Afghanistan in the democracy era and the labor union which was in Afghanistan in the past in some extent succeeded to make sure that humanitarian and basic rights of the labors were safeguarded.
But in the present time, Afghanistan besides confronting security threats also coping with overwhelming job recessions and economic conundrums. The country extremely needs to move forward toward economic development to overcome on the issues faced by the middle class people. However, Afghanistan Labor Union has undertaken comprehensive measures to seek solutions to the issues which currently faced by the workers. But still more efforts were needed to institutionalize workers right in the country. Poverty and unemployment constitute two major factors that have undermined economic growth and impacted social development in the country.
Majority of the low income families in Afghanistan have deprived the children from learning to fulfill their day expenditures and are harmful to the future generation.
