‘Democracy and labour’s struggle interlinked’

Once again, Labour Day has arrived and has been celebrated to commemorate the sacrifices of the labor and for those labor who were hanged for the rights in the American city Chicago almost 136 years ago. Before talking about International Labor Day, it would be better to know the current political situation of our country because democracy and labor struggle are interlinked with each other.

The political conflicts between the ruling party and the opposition of Pakistan is been concluded, that was continued since last six months. The power of the political party "Tehreek-e-Insaf" who came in power on the name of "Change" is been confused on success of no-confidence motion in the Parliament.

The former Chief Minister of Punjab Shahbaz Sharif has become the Prime Minister, and his cabinet has taken oath on 19th April, in which former opposition parties are included. I It is happened for the first time in the Pakistan's history that no-confidence motion has been successful against any Prime Minister. A new chapter in politics has thus been written, as a result, the parliamentary democratic system has successfully pushed ahead and we hope this will result in a mutual understanding and cooperation between the four provinces.

As the Pakistan Peoples Party is not the largest party in the National Assembly numerically at present, but it is a fact that in the four provinces of the country, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir, it is the largest party of the working class of Pakistan, The population of that working class is more than 33% and is the sole representative party. Regarding the results of the coming government and the forthcoming elections in power in April, the elected parliament will show Pakistan the right direction in democratic politics.

The Pakistan Peoples Party has become the most important in this whole political scenario. On 136th World Labor Day, if we examine the labor movement and trade unions in our country, the situation is clear that this movement will face strong resistance. Trade unions are present and even more dynamic in government, semigovernmental organizations and other institutions under the government, but as far as the private sector is concerned, the situation is very bad. There is no progressive change in majority of industrialists mindset.

They still consider labor unions as their enemy and do not give them real status. As a result, the actual representative labor unions were weakened and this period is very favorable for the rise of the packet unions in their place. The laws passed by the Sindh Assembly for the workers' betterment are below mentioned and no other province of Pakistan other than the Sindh government has taken any special step to protect labors.

This day, reminds us the martyred labors in Chicago who, 136 years ago, raised awareness in the American city of Chicago against the restoration of the basic rights of workers and their use of 18-hour work as animals. As a result of this historic uprising, the seven labor leaders were hanged by the industrialists' court and were convinced that the movement had been crushed by violence but this was their biggest mistake. Gradually it spread like wildfire throughout the world. Trade unions were organized all over the world, red flags of rights were raised and many states included the red flag of workers and their rights in the basic charter of their states.

Today the whole world celebrates the memory of the martyrs of Chicago with great fervor and passion, but the industrialists and the court of justice working on their cues have become part of the dustbin of history