Celebrating Labor Day

Published by the Visayan Daily Star Publications, Inc.

NINFA R. LEONARDIA Editor-in-Chief & President

CARLA P. GOMEZ Editor GUILLERMO TEJIDA III Desk Editor NANETTE L. GUADALQUIVER Busines Editor NIDA A. BUENAFE Sports Editor RENE GENOVE Bureau Chief, Dumaguete MAJA P. DELY Advertising Coordinator

CARLOS ANTONIO L. LEONARDIA Administrative Officer

Labor Day in this country has long been associated with protests and rallies by labor groups demanding wage hikes and additional benefits for workers.  During these troubled times, when the country is faced with a looming global food and fuel crisis, we can expect the voices demanding that the government do more for the nation’s laborers to be louder and shriller than ever.  Let us hope that the government, aside from fielding thousands of policemen to control the rallies, lends a genuine ear to the demands of the protestors, and not treat the tradition of Labor Day rallies as another nuisance to be ignored and glossed over.

The activists in labor groups, who celebrate this day with vigor and passion, do not need to be reminded of the significance of Labor Day.  However, since a great majority of us will become, are currently, or have been employees at one point in our lives, Labor Day should be one of the most relevant among all the holidays that we celebrate.  We do not have to march in the streets, wave banners, and chant slogans, but as we commemorate Labor Day, let us remember the efforts and sacrifices of those who have gone before us and fought for the cause of laborers in this country and all over the world.  The many labor laws and benefits that we currently take for granted today, such as the eight-hour work day, minimum wage, overtime rates, night differential pay, leave credits, and due process, exist because of the men and women who fought for the rights of laborers during those days when employers could get away with taking unfair advantage of the labor force.

Maybe one day in the future, Labor Day won’t have to be characterized by yearly street protests and rallies because the laborers will have nothing to complain about anymore.  This is a complex problem with very complex solutions, and can happen only if labor, employers, and government work together hand-in-hand to resolve age-old differences and come up with win-win solutions based on mutual respect.*