Making life easy for the labor class
By: Azharuddin
There is a famous quoten by the prophet of Socialism, Karl Marx, that goes, “All the workers of the world unite; they have nothing to lose except their chains.”
This revolutionary quotation acts as a rallying cry, igniting enthusiasm in the veins of labour’s throughout history. Labour is personified as ‘god’ because all the stuff on the earth’s surface that makes life possible is wholly and solely dependent on labour.
Labour modifies all raw materials for final use. The food we consume on plates is only possible because of labour. The plate itself is the final result of labour. Air-conditioned rooms and sofas, on which capitalists and business tycoons discuss labour exploitation, are also creations of labour.
Everywhere one looks, even at a single needle, is the creation of the proletariat; thy god. It is the tailor who gives the real shape to humans, making them eligible for the processes of socialization and distinguishing them from the rest of the animal world.
The capitalist world leaves no stone unturned in its cruelty against the labour class. It sucks their blood in industries, treating them as bonded slaves. The surplus value that makes the rich richer is generated through the muscle power of labour. Tall skyscrapers, roads, highways, and buildings are tagged and inaugurated by capitalists, despite the funds they provide originating from the sweat and blood of labour. Nevertheless, labour is never found at their inaugurations or opening ceremonies.
The surplus is the blood and sweat of labour. Here, we highlight how a capitalist or industrialist becomes rich from this surplus. Suppose there is a factor that manufactures pens and other stationery items. The owner of this industry pays five hundred rupees per labourer from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
During this time duration, they manufacture fifty pens, each costing ten rupees. After 4:00 PM, the owner offers them to work extra, or what we call a part-time job. Suppose labour works for two hours part-time and in that time period he/she manufactures ten more pens. The owner, who only provides the raw material, equipment’s and workspace, gives them only fifty rupees extra.
However, as per the price of every piece, the owner earns an extra fifty rupees. Though an owner provides raw material and other instruments, but without the physical labour he gains larger profit share. Thus, every single penny produced by labour enriches the capitalist or industrialist with each exploiting minute of the labour.
Marx believed that labour reproduces more children because he thought that by procreating a large number of children, his economic well-being may stabilize, helping him to earn bread and milk. But in this attempt, he himself pts his children into the trap of capitalist exploitation.
Thus, the cycle of exploitation of the bourgeoisie over the proletariat continues, and generations of labour remain without education, facing the challenges of hunger, deteriorating health conditions, poor dwelling facilities, and amenities, lacking all the basic necessities and opportunities that can make their lives better.
It is important to note that in contemporary times, not only uneducated labour is exploited, but educated minds also suffer the same fate. Big MNCs and IT companies also exploit young minds. Moreover, in private schools, there is the worst form of exploitation of young teachers. On average, the owner of these institutions pays them just ten thousand rupees per month, and these poor fellows are supposed to teach more than four classes per day.
Even the government does not refrain from exploiting young educated brains. Contractual and vocational teachers working in different government schools, colleges, and universities are also exploited.
Paying them a salary of ten thousand to twenty-eight thousand rupees is a big assault on their degrees and the midnight oil they burned during their studies. Most permanent teachers and other non-teaching staff, who lack qualifications and are outdated, draw salaries of above fifty thousand rupees.
Recently, higher officials of school education in J&K have exposed fake degrees of many teachers, which is a welcoming and appreciable effort. But here is the million-dollar question: Why does the government treat these two working groups under the same educational roofs differently? One is highly paid and valued, even though they are not eligible for it. On the other side, those working in these educational institutions who have good qualifications and other modern skills are treated like slaves and bonded labour compared to their counterparts.
There is an urgent need to revive and ban this entire system of exploitation in industries, MNCs, private schools, colleges, and even other government educational institutions. Everybody facing any form of exploitation should raise their voice against this tyranny and oppression.
We all must embody the basic essence of Marx’s quotation mentioned at the beginning of this write-up. We literally have to break the chains of bondage and slavery. Even if it costs every drop of our blood, we have to spend it because we have to free our future generations from this cycle of injustice.
Finally, the government, considered the second god on earth, should also revise its policies. At the very least, it must make a clear-cut difference between its policies and those of capitalists. It must treat everybody the same and, for God’s sake, consult the basic ideas of equity and equality, creating a society where everyone lives with honour and respect, having all the basic necessities and facilities necessary for growth and development.
(The author hails from Srigufwara, Anantnag)
KV News
