Psalm 118:24 This is the day the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
HAPPY LABOUR DAY
Yes Friends, a Happy Labour Day to all who toil for a living. Regrettably I won’t be taking part in the celebrations on the Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, N.Y. But imagine nuh, the ole fella miss both Caribana and Labour Day. The world must be coming to an end yes. (smile) But for all you young uns, it hasn’t always been as good as this. Only today I read that the concept of Labour Day possibly originated in Canada, with events like the Toronto Trades Assembly’s "workingman’s demonstration" on April 15, 1872, in support of 24 imprisoned leaders of the Toronto Typographical Union who had gone on strike to demand a nine-hour workday. An estimated crowd of around 10,000 watched the parade and heard speeches denouncing the laws banning trade unions. So it’s a very eventful day in the life of the ordinary working man, a day to celebrate the lifting of some of their burdens, through unionizing, getting together to fight the tyranny and obscene oppression of the arrogant capitalists who felt they had a god-given right to run roughshod over the working man because they controlled the money supply. It’s only due to much blood letting, sweat and tears of our forefathers that things like regular vacations, humane working conditions, eight hour work days, pensions, benefits and reasonable wages were achieved. Many of us don’t know of the horrible, unsafe working conditions and beggarly wages paid to the coal miners in States like Virginia and Pennsylvania, even up to the mid 20th century. The cotton mills in the south weren’t any better. Today’s sweat shops pale in comparison, especially during Prohibition and the Great Depression eras. And when the workers finally bonded together to fight the greedy robber barons, those hypocrites hired guards, strike breakers, the most famous being the Pinkertons, to kill, maim, and do whatever it took to keep them chained in dire poverty. The unions weren’t sweethearts either. They fought amongst themselves as well against the owners. Violence and treachery were rampant. Strikes were violent affairs. But thank the Lord, cooler heads and smarter brains eventually prevailed, and the life of the working class began to slowly improve. So Friends, let’s take this Labour Day celebration seriously. Our right to organize, our freedom to withhold or bargain our labour to the highest bidder and all the other perks we now enjoy were hard earned on the lives of many, oppressed but courageous workers who stood up for the right to earn a fair day’s wage under decent conditions, for a fair day’s work. Sadly though, it seems we’ve now reached the other end of the pendulum and it’s swinging back towards those rough times. The captains claim workers have priced themselves out of jobs; too high wages and too costly benefits, so they can’t compete in the contrived world economy, forcing them to cut wages, lay off workers, close plants or transfer them to low cost centres; read inefficient sweat shops and slave labour in populous, underdeveloped parts of the world. But that’s always been the capitalist way; move your capital to where it commands the most profit, and heartlessly ignore the plight of those left behind. Remember the early days of Independence in the West Indies when industry flourished through tax breaks, but when they ran out, they shut up shop and moved on. Now, while workers wages are falling, the captains’ are increasing. It’s estimated that the average CEO’s now earn a whopping 334% more than the average worker. Don’t tell me that brainpower is worth that much more. Anyway Friends, all is not lost. The good news is that once we walk with the Lord, we’re assured of winning at the end. So though we’re beset by a myriad of sorrows and problems, take heart, our God is still in control, and He’s promised that no weapon formed against us will win, for we’re more than conquerors. It’s not easy, but with hope, faith, a positive approach and obedience to God, we will overcome! So as Bruh David wisely said ‘This is the day the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.’ But nuh must. Much LOVE!…remember… nothing can kill man’s indomitable spirit…
SCRIP-BITS 