Chennai: What happens when workers have a day off? People who help with their service on a day-to-day basis hardly have holidays. Be it auto drivers, delivery boys, corporation workers, domestic help or any labourer, they do not get a break like the rest of the people do.
International Workers’ Day or May Day was an initiative started to encourage and support labourers and solve the issue of overworking them. It is celebrated internationally and is declared a government holiday in India on 1 May every year.
The concept of international workers’ day was first started in Chicago and later spread to other parts of the world. It was in Madras (now Chennai) that May Day was first celebrated in India for the rights and welfare of the workers.
This day is a holiday for government workers and many corporate employees but hardly ever a holiday for the normal working class. While the employees from all over the country get to stay at home and enjoy a day off, these daily wage earners and many other employees work on this day also.
The creation of food and travel apps has created a lot of employment opportunities. Applications like these employ people and help them earn money by providing service to people. Though this is a positive sign, people who work for these applications do not get to celebrate workers’ day as they will have to work more on this day.
“I have been working with a food app for two years now. The delivery boys like me do not have the day off on May Day as the rest of the people have a holiday and expect food delivered at their doorstep. So, if we get a holiday, it will cause loss to the company and eventually affect our income,” said Mohan, a delivery boy.
Though the employers at the head offices that manage these applications mostly have the day off, the workers who actually provide service cannot afford to have a holiday.
“I have been working with private cab service for four years now and we do not get the day off on Worker’s Day. What will happen if there is an emergency and someone is in need of transport? It is we who have to come to their rescue. So, we hardly ever get a day off,” said Gowthaman, an auto driver.
“I would rather do my job of cleaning the garbage from four streets than take a day off and let the garbage overflow and get accumulated. Doing my job and cleaning the area will give me more satisfaction than spending a day doing nothing at home,” said Alexander, a Corporation conservancy worker.
On a day like this when most people have a holiday, it is labourers who work hard to satisfy people’s needs, even on a day meant for them to celebrate and get a break. Most fail to acknowledge how important these people are in people’s daily lives and how without them working for even a day the daily life schedule gets affected.
ARTICLE BY: SHARMADA V & SUHA NISVIYA S A