Disorganised labour - the forgotten factor

Lionel WIJESIRI

I conceive of labour as a giant. This giant has the power and strength to do almost anything. His history has been exploitation and betrayal. He produces all the necessities of life, yet he has a difficult time getting some of these necessities for himself and his family, and so with his education, culture, amusement. But when one day this giant finally stands up and lifts his head out of the fog, it will be then that we will have no hysteria, persecution and what not, but a wonderful May Day. (William Gropper).

In the history of the International labour movement very few artists share that place of honour and integrity occupied by William Gropper who lived in USA between 1897 to 1977. He was best known for his satirical portrayals of the elite and the effects of capitalism on a worker’s life. His paintings today adorn the galleries of Europe and Asia as well as USA.

If Gropper is alive today, would he think that his giant has finally stood up? It is a difficult question to answer. Perhaps, he might say, “Not fully stood up as yet but not sleeping any more”.

Trade Unions

Take for example, Sri Lanka. We have a strong union tradition with over 1,600 registered trade unions. All ILO core conventions have been ratified, and our Constitution entitles every person to the freedom of association and the right to form and join a trade union. About a quarter of the workforce is unionized. We have an Industrial Disputes Act making it a requirement for employers to recognize trade unions and the right to collective bargaining, effectively prohibiting any anti-union discrimination. The Termination of Employees and Workmen Act require the Labour Commissioner to apply a compensation formula for job termination cases and setting a time-bound process for the resolution of labour disputes.

The average Sri Lankan worker can be happy with these achievements. But yet there is still a long way to go. In Gropper’s words, the giant has not fully woken up. Take the unorganised sector of the Labour market. This is a vast sector in the work force which we have forgotten. We cannot be much happy with the sad plight of the workers in this sector. A lot remains to be done take them out of their agony.

There is no authentic data available on unorganised workers. They suffer from cycles of excessive seasonably of employment and the majority of them do not have stable and durable avenues of employment. They do the same kind of jobs in different habitations and may not work and live together in compact geographical areas.

The workers engaged in the unorganised sector are the major contributors to the gross domestic product of the country.

Workforce

However, it is this section of the workforce which remains out of focus of Government and NGO policies and programs. Various studies have indicated that for them the provisions of the various Provincial and Central legislations remain no more than a piece of paper. As a result, they are not only deprived of legitimate dues accruable to them under the Law but are also exposed to various forms of exploitation. Sri Lanka’s development will never be complete and meaningful until its vast unorganized labour is provided with gainful livelihood opportunities that would enable them to enjoy a decent standard of living. They not only constitute valuable productive assets but are also citizens entitled to the benefits of development. Unfortunately, in Sri Lanka such workers lead a poor life and are able to get, if at all, a very low quality of employment.

Can we solve this gigantic problem of providing the vast disorganized labour with decent employment opportunities and reasonable social security for their lives? To answer this question necessitates a study on the present condition of such workers, their problems and the alternative mechanisms that can be developed to solve their problems. The study will throw some light on the problems of mobilizing, organizing and bringing economic betterment to this sector of labour.

Truly, history has a lot to teach the workers about the roots of the May Day. We must remember that people were shot so we could have the 8-hour day; we must acknowledge that thousands of men and women have sacrificed their careers, their families and sometimes their lives so we could have better working conditions. Then we will understand that our current condition cannot be taken for granted - people fought for the rights and dignities we enjoy today and as seen in the case of unorganised labour, there is still a lot more to fight for. The sacrifices of so many people cannot be forgotten or we’ll end up fighting for those same gains all over again. It is in this spirit that we should celebrate May Day.