Friday 5 May 2023. – Labour Day is a common public holiday across the world. Some celebrate on May 1st and some in September. It is a carnival, but originally it was a day to celebrate workers’ achievements. There are still some speeches, marching, and red flags in the streets, but it feels like looking at an old movie.

A need for employee rights emerged in the latter part of the 18th century when the industrial revolution started to pull rural people to cities and factories. The working conditions were awful in many cases, and labour unions emerged to protect workers’ rights. Since those days, unions’ efforts have improved employment conditions a great deal.

During the last decades, the union membership rate has declined in several countries. The decline in manufacturing and globalization are said to be the main reasons. But shouldn’t the better labour rights be one reason for the less appealing union membership card?

Have unions done such a great job, that they’ve become jobless? Is the work done already? On a global scale, the work is certainly not done. The manufacturing conditions vary from continent to continent, country to country. 

To unify the differences, could union officials have a global job rotation program? I have played with the idea that the union people from Sweden would work a year in Bangladesh and vice versa. Could that have a positive impact on the world’s occupational safety?

In countries where suitable working conditions prevail, companies often have issues finding enough good employees. The emphasis is more on how to attract and retain skilled workers. Together with automation, jobs become more demanding. Basic entry-level jobs get rare.

On Monday I enjoyed the day off with my friends and family. As working life is not getting any less turbulent in the future, I intend to celebrate Labour Day also next year!