Today is May Day

So today is the May day which is being celebrated throughout the world as Labor day (The U.S. has one in September) and rallies and processions are being taken out by the laborers (aren't we all ) to highlight their sacrifices and show solidarity with them and also the struggles which are still going on for the achievement of their rights. As a reminder of how far the laborers and their leaders have to go, you don’t have to go further than the recent tragedy in Bangladesh where a factory collapsed and more than 400 people (and counting) have died and scores injured. Despite all the efforts and advancement made in the labor movement in the west (and still going on), there is utter disregard to the labor situation in other parts of the world. This is the only day the laborers have to highlight their plight and then they go back again to work under pathetic conditions the rest of the year. First of all the misplaced idea that the western countries labor movement can shift wholesale all the gains that they have achieved in the west to labor abusive countries should be dispelled with. We cannot and should not do that since the circumstances are different in different countries and to influence the owners of the factories to adhere to the western standards will make more unemployment than it is now. But they should work closely with their suppliers to make sure that the conditions can be improved.