What is International Labor Day?
(Baonghean) -When I was in school, I sometimes wondered why it was called International Workers' Day but had a day off? It was a strange and contradictory name, but as students, having a day off was fun, so I didn't worry too much. Actually, everyone felt conflicted between what they wanted to do and what they had to do. But in the end, they still had to reluctantly follow the call of duty. Going to school instead of playing marbles, playing marbles, or playing checkers, how sad!
Growing up a little bit, I realized that adults are not much better than children. There is no shortage of people who, while sitting in their offices, are busy wandering around beer bars, beauty spas, and shops. However, unlike children, adults are more reckless and more easily tempted. The proof is that before the end of work hours, many people have already checked in at badminton courts, tennis courts, markets,... and, a little less healthy, at pubs and restaurants. And the funny thing is, it seems like their real "working" day is just beginning, after a day of wasting time at their desks. Later, with the development of technology and the advancement of entertainment, someone invented a very sophisticated game that can help people play while sitting at their desks, that is computers and the internet. My sister was embarrassed when her daughter walked into the room right when she was busy playing Line 98, even though 30 minutes ago she had told her not to bother her so she could do her year-end report...
Another paradox of the labor problem is the surplus and shortage of labor. Why is it contradictory? Because there is both surplus and shortage. In big cities, there is an abundance of labor, in the provinces there is a serious shortage. The shortage here is a lack of quality labor. Speaking of quality, while everyone is rushing to export labor (legally and illegally), no one thinks about improving manual labor skills to improve wages right in Vietnam. Meanwhile, abroad, almost anything related to "handicraft" is said to be eye-wateringly expensive. But it is worth the price, because their skills are high, doing things that require sensitivity and delicacy that machines cannot replace. Having said that, Vietnam also has many sophisticated handicrafts, unfortunately they are mainly attractive to foreigners. Only then can we see, let's think again about whether our labor has been appreciated and valued properly by our people.
As I just said, thinking back, it is also contradictory! Finding a job now is like looking for a needle in a haystack, that is what young people who have just stepped out of the lecture hall lamented to me. A stable job with a monthly salary of five to seven million is now a luxury dream for many people. Strange, is labor now so cheap? Should we question society with its inappropriate treatment or the unqualified workers? After all, the problem still lies in society. Because low labor skills are due to problems in the training process. And a society that is on the path of development and expansion in all aspects, but still does not create enough jobs for workers, is no different from a tank with an increasingly large capacity but the faucet still drips like filter coffee.
In conclusion, any issue related to labor can be associated with a child forced to grow up before his age. Because all workers who are tempted and distracted from their responsibilities and duties are just like a child who has grown up without a care. Workers who are not highly skilled are like children who have to shoulder too much work on their shoulders too soon. In short, the whole society will be full of children, because this society itself is also a child who has not grown up, or rather, has not yet had time to grow up in spirit to match the body. This means that to truly grow up, people need to develop their thoughts and ideas, not just build facilities and materials. Only when we can do so, will we realize the value of International Labor Day!
Hai Trieu
Email from Paris
