Strike First, Work Later

Desk

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The struggle for workers’ rights is as old as time itself, with even ancient myths and legends documenting the exploitation of labour. The epic of Atra-Hasis from 17th-century BC, for example, tells of how the worker gods were forced to toil endlessly to create the world as we know it. They dug rivers and springs, established wells, and heaped up mountains, but after 40 years, they decided to stand up to their ‘boss’, Enlil, the chief god of the Akkadian pantheon.

The story of the worker gods’ strike may be ancient, but its message is still relevant today. Workers all over the world continue to face exploitation and injustice, and the struggle for their rights remains ongoing. The significance of May 1, or Labour Day, lies in its recognition of the struggles of workers throughout history and the need to continue the fight for justice.

In Pakistan, workers’ rights have been a contentious issue for decades. Despite various laws and regulations, many workers still find themselves in vulnerable positions, with little job security, low wages, and limited access to benefits. The pandemic has only exacerbated these issues, with many workers losing their jobs or facing increased health risks.

While there have been some positive developments in recent years, such as the passage of the Sindh Industrial Relations Act in 2013, much more needs to be done. The implementation of labour laws and the protection of workers’ rights should be a top priority for the government and employers alike.

Unfortunately, there are still many who seek to exploit workers for their own gain. Some employers engage in exploitative practices, such as withholding wages or forcing workers to work long hours without breaks. Others use tactics such as contract labour and outsourcing to avoid their responsibilities towards workers.

To make matters worse, the pandemic has exposed the vulnerabilities of workers in the informal sector, who make up a significant portion of the workforce in Pakistan. Many of these workers have no job security or access to social protection, leaving them at risk of destitution in times of crisis.

It is clear that more needs to be done to protect the rights of workers in Pakistan. This includes not only ensuring that labour laws are enforced, but also taking steps to empower workers and give them a voice in the decisions that affect their lives.

On this Labour Day, let us remember the struggles of the past and the present, and rededicate ourselves to the fight for workers’ rights. As the ancient story of the worker gods reminds us, when workers stand together and demand justice, they have the power to bring about real change.

The fight for workers’ rights is not a new phenomenon, and it certainly didn’t start on May 1st. In fact, the earliest mention of organized labor protests can be found in the creation myths of the ancient Akkadian religion. According to the 17th-century BC epic of Atra-Hasis, the Elder god Enlil created a race of ‘lesser’ gods to do the hard work of making the newly created world livable. The story goes that these worker gods “dug the Tigris river and the Euphrates… Springs they opened from the depths, wells… they established… they heaped up all the mountains.”

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Initially, these junior deities took their work seriously, but after 40 years, they decided that the never-ending toil wasn’t what they had signed up for. They went on strike, setting their tools and workstations on fire and picketing outside the house of the ‘boss’ god, Enlil. The Elder gods’ response was typical of bosses throughout history – they singled out and punished the ‘troublemaker’ causing resentment among the revolting workers. But the protesters stood united, and in modern terms, this is known as collective bargaining and class solidarity.

With no pliant labor force to do the hard work while they sat back and presumably sipped ambrosia, the Elder gods had to find a solution. They decided to create humans as a passive and powerless workforce. The younger gods, pleased that they were no longer part of the proletariat, went back to doing whatever gods do, showing that solidarity with the working class vanishes when you’re no longer part of the working class. This also explains why we never seem to catch a break; after all, we were created to be slaves!

The first recorded instance of a workers’ strike in ‘real’ history was in Egypt around 1159 BC, during Ramses III’s reign. Ramses had ordered the refurbishment of temples as part of his upcoming 30-year jubilee celebrations. However, due to bad harvests and official corruption, artisans tasked with constructing the pharaohs’ mausoleum had their pay (a ration of grain) delayed repeatedly. One day, they decided to down tools and walk off the job.

The overseers had never faced such a situation before, given that Egyptian society prized harmony and obedience to social structures and authority. They tried to appease the protesting workers by offering them lunch and pastries. This practice birthed the long-standing management tradition of trying to distract workers from legitimate demands by offering trinkets, a practice as unsuccessful today as it was in ancient Egypt.

The artisans were not appeased and took over part of the temple granary, threatening the priests. The police were called but met with no success. The workers finally received their overdue grain and went back to their villages. However, when they realized that their next payments would also be delayed, they went on strike again and this time took over the entire Valley of the Kings, denying entry to priests and mourners who wanted to perform the necessary rituals for the dead.

When the military was sent in to crush the strikers, the workers threatened to destroy the royal tombs, an escalation unheard of in all the millennia of Egyptian history. The situation lasted for about three years, and the terrified bosses went to great lengths to conceal the matter from the pharaoh for fear of losing their own heads. The issue did eventually get resolved, but the social contract that had endured for centuries had been shattered.

In conclusion, the history of workers’ strikes goes back millennia, and it is clear that the power struggle between workers and bosses has remained relatively unchanged over time. The story of the Egyptian artisans who went on strike during Ramses III’s jubilee celebrations is just one example of workers standing up against exploitative conditions and demanding fair treatment.

The response of the overseers and authorities, both then and now, has been to try to appease workers with trinkets and distractions, but these tactics have proven to be unsuccessful. Collective bargaining and class solidarity, on the other hand, have been powerful tools for workers to achieve their goals and improve their conditions.

The history of workers’ strikes also serves as a reminder that the struggle for workers’ rights is ongoing and that no movement truly has a beginning or an end. As society continues to evolve, it is important to remember the lessons of the past and to continue fighting for fair treatment and dignity in the workplace.