May 1st – International Workers day: time to re-energize labour and community
Nick Van Langendonck, author of “Doing Good Works!” and founder Unbossers Network
The origins of May 1st: struggle and solidarity from the bottom-up
On 1 May, the world has celebrated Labour Day since the late 19th century. Originally, this day arose from the fervent struggle for an eight-hour working day – a demand that resounded from the streets, carried by ordinary workers who wanted to regain their dignity 1. Not an imposed revolution from above, but a slow, courageous movement from below, born of need and hope, but also, and above all, with support from unexpected quarters.
Because, remarkably, in the same period – around Ascension Day – the Catholic Church commemorates Rerum Novarum, the 1891 encyclical in which Pope Leo XIII commented on the wretched condition of the working class 2. Again, not a call for radical rupture, but for resourcing: a call for social justice, protection of the weak, and respect for human dignity within labour and the economy.
Inspired priests like Daems stood side by side with the workers, not as ideologues of a system, but as believers in the power of solidarity and justice3. It was a movement that not only looked at the economic situation of the workers, but also sought to improve the humanity of working life.
1. Hobsbawm, Eric. Labouring Men: Studies in the History of Labour. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1964. See also: Roediger, David. Our Own Time: A History of American Labor and the Working Day, Verso, 1989. ↩ 2. Pope Leo XIII. Rerum Novarum (On the Condition of Labour), 1891. Available via the Vatican website: https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_l-xiii_enc_15051891_rerum-novarum.html ↩ 3. Van Istendael, Geert. Brief aan de paus: De katholieke arbeidersbeweging toen en nu. Atlas Contact, 2005. ↩
Two traditions, one truth
Two seemingly different traditions – socialism and Catholicism – but essentially two expressions of the same truth: social justice and solidarity are the foundations of our successful, humane European society. Both driven by people who refused to accept injustice as normal. People who believed that things could be better, and more importantly, should be better.
Today, we live in a very different world. We enjoy rights that previous generations fought for, and could only dream of: social protection, working-time arrangements, holidays, and health insurance. We are entitled to sick leave, maternity and parental leave, and there are pension accrual schemes. Opportunities for professional development are also plentiful. All these achievements make workers’ lives today considerably safer and more enjoyable than ever before. Yet we continue to strike and burn out en masse.
Where do things go wrong?
Rights also entail duties
We have forgotten something fundamental along the way: being a member of an organisation – of a community – entails not only rights, but also duties. And that applies to everyone: employees and employers alike.
Employees bear responsibility, namely that for their effort, commitment and contribution. As deadlines approach, try to work hard without a depressed face or theatrical sacrifice. Abandon the game of self-promotion for the manager or impressing with nightly emails. Turn extra hours not for applause, but out of dedication. Real appreciation grows not from quick likes or admiring glances, but from trust, respect and the chance to build something bigger than yourself.
Employers, of course, also bear a great responsibility: to provide equal opportunities, establish equitable structures and create caring work environments. If they expect similar dedication and commitment from their employees, they should at least be willing to share company ownership and honour with them.
And why does a company party always have to be in the swankiest hotel, with the ceo and executives prominent on stage, carefully packaged by the communications team into a beautiful employer branding story? Converting the cafeteria into a gym and swapping the main kitchen for cappuccinos, quiches and fruit baskets won’t help either.
Surely do not invest in glitz, glamour and all that welfare arsenal, but simply in time – time in the workplace itself. Dare to put aside full agendas, strategic projects, and deadlines for a while. Give colleagues space for real, undivided attention. Only then can a community on the shop floor grow.
Revival and hope
What is needed is a resourcing. Employers and employees must rediscover that labour not only creates economic value, but has human and even moral significance. Working and doing business is done first and foremost for others: the customer, the colleague, society.
This realization calls for a radical rethinking of the relationship between employers, employees and shareholders – no longer as a mere economic exchange, but as a partnership between people who want to create meaning together. People who dare to believe that companies can be not only engines of profit, but also beacons of justice, care and service.
Today, we see hopeful examples. For example, some companies are deliberately choosing steward ownership: a model where voting rights over the company’s direction belong to employees, and the company is run in service of its social mission. While shareholders retain a profit right, they have no managerial power. As a result, the focus is not on maximum returns, but on the survival of the company as a community of employees, customers and other stakeholders in our society. Built by ordinary people who take responsibility, carry duties and together strive for an economy that appeals to both the heart and the mind. By the way, this model is not at all new. Its foundations go back to our democratic roots in ancient Greece, the source of much of the success of our European society.
So let this first of May be an invitation both to be inspired by the past and to find the courage to take new steps. Freedom and joy are never simply given; they are earned by taking responsibility and serving others. Therein lies the true meaning of labour.
Nick Van Langendonck is founder of the ‘social learning’ Unbossers Network, a network for business leaders, managers, employees, workers and students who, united by our Western cornerstone values, build stronger people-centred businesses together. He is author of the book ‘Doing good works’.
