Happy Labour Day!

The international community today observes International Workers’ Day, a commemoration promoted by the international labour movement.

It is a time to celebrate workers’ achievements and pay homage to their contribution to the progress of countries across the world.

On the shoulders of hard-working people rests the economic progress of a nation. For that, their efforts have to be acknowledged. Symbolically, they are given a day off on May 1.

The labour union movement advocated equal time for work, recreation and rest. To this, in time, there was added the struggle to achieve social justice.

At the same time, there is still some way to go to achieve gender equality in the place of work in most countries of the world.

The International Labour Organisation has been spearheading efforts to promote and protect workers’ rights, eliminate discrimination, especially on the basis of gender, and granting workers the right to have their own associations that represent them in possible litigation with employers.

In Jordan, much progress has been made in improving labourers’ rights and providing them with fair wages, through raising the minimum wage.

Still, the Kingdom has some way to go to improve women labourers’ rights by bridging the pay difference compared to men’s.

Equal pay for equal work is a goal yet to be attained.

Women play an important role — if on a smaller-scale, in view of the obvious reasons — in the economy of a country and working women’s contribution to the family income cannot be dismissed.

But for them to be able to give their utmost, they need to be provided with affordable childcare facilities and granted recognition for their effort.

That comes in the form of salary and position, two issues that have yet to be fairly treated by most societies.

Eliminating lingering labour inequalities — be they related to gender, wage or the right to associate — would be the most appropriate way to celebrate Labour Day.