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MADRASAHDIGITAL.CO- By: Mr. Miftahul Hidayat, Postgraduate student in Interdisciplinary Islamic Studies at UIN SUKA Yogyakarta.

Every year we commemorate Labor Day or as it is called Help. It is celebrated by workers around the world as International Labor Day, which falls on May 1. Although in several other countries marking Labor Day on different dates. For example, Canada and America celebrate their Labor Day in September.

However, regardless of our version of May Day, May Day remains a day and a time to celebrate unity. That there are still groups of people who are aware of fairer changes. It shows that May Day is a friendship that met oppression.

In many parts of the world, people celebrate May Day with parades, rallies and demonstrations in support of workers’ rights. So what is the reality for workers today? Are they halfway to discovering their rights as workers?

Portrait of the reality of work today

We certainly see the reality of working people recently bottoming out. This is because the policies adopted later by the ruling elite have become the main problem. For example, the Job Creation Act which was passed in October 2022. Several items considered highly detrimental to workers include; First of all, The contract labor system of Article 81, point 15 of the Job Creation Act stipulates that the work should be completed within a not too long time. Thus, according to some observers, the use of the expression “not too long” has a high probability of contractor discretion in the uncertain time of the contract. Of course, this will threaten the job security of workers.

Second, widespread outsourcing practices. In the Job Creation Act, there are no clear rules regarding limits or criteria for work that can be outsourced. In the absence of restrictions, this will certainly result in more widespread outsourcing practices.

Third, excessive working hours. In law, the maximum overtime limit is only three hours a day and 14 hours a week, to four hours a day and 18 hours a week. We can see from this how labor is used as a tool to produce as many goods as possible without paying attention to the health and well-being of workers.

Fourth, namely the reduction of the right to leave and rest. In the Job Creation Act, breaks for workers are only granted once a week.

Fifth, to summarize the few points mentioned above, will have an impact on the vulnerability of workers or laborers to suffer layoffs. Provisions previously governed by Section 127 of the Labor Act stated that workers who were entitled to double severance pay if terminated due to long illness (12 months) were removed by law on job creation.

With the many contradictions mentioned in the Job Creation Act, we can see how the conditions of workers are today. So it’s not wrong if we say that every day is Labor Day.

Merchandise, food and everything that then reaches store shelves, hangs in malls, is the sweat of workers.

Strawberryuh and politics

Today social media has been colored with news or information about upcoming elections. Cawapres and parties are ready to color cellphone screens and the streets. Embracing the people with such elegant and populist speeches.

Politicians dress their new candidacy in blue or black collar suits as a form of their common view of the people, especially the workers. The image they can then take on is a narrative of how these politicians have a close relationship with working people. I remember then when the International Firefighters Association (IAFF), whose president has long been close to Biden, supported him. For example, what Bob Casey said Biden has an “electric” relationship with the old school unions.

Joe Biden instantly became something of a hero for the working class. He was a pro-union liberal. When he met with unions, he always said things like, “The old adage says: All men are created equal, but then some become firefighters.” And the best place for my career is to be surrounded by the workforce, of course I know how to say ‘union’.

Thus, when we return to the memory of the electoral festival which will be held soon, it becomes for us a great concern for the future of the nation and the workers.

Voting for a candidate who is then accompanied by the mention “with the workers” is a risk. Why is that? The fundamental question for us looking at the real conditions is whether workers and laborers are the priority in every policy while governing? So has it been proven that they took any political risk on behalf of the workers?

It is the beginning that brings us to the bottom of the real problem. The workers and unions that today plan to support a presidential candidate were also referred to in the Middle Ages as “grassroots markets.” The hope is that their candidate will do their job of persuasion. So funny, if we don’t learn from the past.

Finally, I would like to quote the words of Richard Wolffie that “a union closer to politicians than to its members is a union waiting to die”.

Again, S.Happy Labour Dayand find out what capitalism is and who runs it.

red. Saipul