TO the uninitiated, having a public holiday that celebrates workers named "Labour Day" may seem like an oxymoron. But the naming is not ironic, for it celebrates the achievements of workers; particularly through unionisation, it celebrates the acknowledgement of the rights and welfare of workers.
Consider this: Those that have to work on this day, and on other public holidays, get paid higher rates because of the sacrifice they have to make, in foregoing time with the family, on a day that everyone else is resting.
Indeed, even though a day of rest may be a religious concept for some, it is not something that happens automatically where workers' rights are concerned.
Days of rest, overtime, annual increments, annual leave, sick leave, maternity or paternity leave, bereavement leave, study leave, medical insurance, health and safety practices — all are hard-fought rights won thanks to workers coming together and fighting and negotiating as one.
Today is especially sweet for Malaysian workers, for today, the minimum wage increase will be gazetted and come into force, despite protest from employers.
Their argument is that RM300 is too much of a leap too soon, especially during an economic downturn.
That argument would be somewhat understandable if it came from a small, struggling business that employs only a handful of workers and whose profit margin is very small.
But what excuse do large companies that employ thousands of workers have? Surely only that their substantial profit margin would be affected, not substantially.
If a RM300 increase seems too huge for industrialists, think of how much huger it is for the lowest-paid workers, for whom, when all is said and done, this increase still does not bring their salaries up to a living-wage level. And it certainly wouldn't keep up with inflation.
So there should be no delay in its implementation. The Labour Day that we celebrate today recognises the need for a fair recompense for fair work; and, the right to a work-life balance.
No one should feel indebted because they get paid a salary; a salary is a fair exchange for work done.
Yet, while most of us enjoy this day of rest, we should also recognise the many who do labour but are unrecognised for it — like people who do unpaid work, caring for children and elderly members of the family.
They do not have high positions in society because they "don't work" or take on fewer formal work hours. But without their service, the rest of society would not be able to function.
For them, there is no work-life balance. Spare a thought, too, for those who should be better protected by the law and enforcement authorities — foreign workers who do indentured labour, whose salaries are often withheld or remain unpaid until (if!) compelled by a court order.
It is not sufficient to write off accusations of slave labour as merely an economic protectionist issue; for that will then never compel us to look into accusations of worker abuse.
For when employers hire a worker, it is not a wholesale purchase of a person's life, liberty or soul.
Whether they be local or foreign, workers are needed because there is work that needs to be done that the employer themselves cannot do.
If employers and employees remember that work and payment are supposed to be a fair trade, life and the world would be better.