Show your care through practical actions.

(Baonghean) - On May 1, 1886, responding to a call from the American Federation of Labor, approximately 40,000 workers in Chicago went on strike, refusing to go to the factories. They organized rallies and demonstrations in the streets with banners proclaiming, "From today, no worker will work more than eight hours a day! We must implement eight hours of work, eight hours of rest, and eight hours of leisure!" The protest was brutally suppressed, but it resulted in an eight-hour workday for all those working in factories, workshops, and mines worldwide. Since then, May 1st has become International Labor Day. Now, 128 years later, in many places, that slogan has become a reality, but in many countries and regions, it remains a dream for many workers.

In our country, during the process of national construction and defense, especially over the past nearly 30 years of reform, along with the industrialization and modernization of the country, the Vietnamese working class has made remarkable progress in both quality and quantity. They have received much better education and training than before. With over ten million people, including workers employed in enterprises of all economic sectors; those working in individual production and business households; and Vietnamese laborers working abroad under contract... they have made enormous contributions to the national economy, contributing more than 60% of the total social product and 70% of the state budget.

In return, the material and spiritual lives of workers' families have improved significantly. Their children receive attentive care and support from society. Evidence of this is the increasing number of housing complexes in export processing zones and industrial parks, complete with kindergartens and schools for workers and their children. Those facing difficulties and hardships receive assistance from trade unions and the community. Their lives are more secure than before, even without work, thanks to the establishment of the Unemployment Insurance Fund. Today's workers participate in almost all social activities with full rights and responsibilities as citizens, and many, through their efforts and striving, have achieved positions of power in society. A considerable number have been selected as "red seeds," serving as a long-term source of future leaders for the political system at all levels in their localities.

However, what troubles many people most is that while the lives of a segment of the workforce have improved during the country's socio-economic development, a significant portion still does not live up to the standards set for their contributions. Workers currently face numerous difficulties and grievances regarding employment, material well-being, and morale, particularly among unskilled laborers in private and foreign-invested enterprises. Their rights and living conditions lack security and adequate support. For example, there have been numerous strikes recently due to unfair treatment by employers.

Along with that came a series of food poisoning incidents in industrial zones and export processing zones, and the increasing number of meals containing maggots among workers, causing those concerned to feel sorry for their plight. Their meager incomes forced many to work overtime and extended hours to earn more. And if they only worked the eight-hour day as required over a hundred years ago, they wouldn't know how to make ends meet. Their workdays sometimes lasted over ten stressful hours. At night, they had to live in cramped, dilapidated rented rooms. They fell asleep exhausted, only to repeat the same routine the next day.

Not only are they exhausted, but they also face the risk of workplace accidents, with thousands occurring nationwide each year, and they could lose their jobs and income at any time. Their children are left in private, unregulated daycare centers because they lack the financial means to attend better public schools, only to suffer heartbreaking consequences. In cases of child abuse and mistreatment in private daycare centers, the victims are mostly the children of factory workers. There are countless other hardships, injustices, and heartbreaking events that workers endure daily, too numerous to list here.

This illustrates that the goal of "8 hours of work, 8 hours of rest, 8 hours of leisure," set forth 128 years ago, remains a goal for the working class today. And to build a stronger working class to meet the demands of the period of accelerated industrialization and modernization of the country, in addition to correctly and fully implementing the Party's guidelines, directives, and resolutions, and the State's policies regarding the workforce, it is essential to have concrete action programs and initiatives such as ensuring hygienic and nutritious meals for workers; ensuring their children have decent places to eat and study so that they can work and produce with peace of mind; providing them with stable and clean shelter to regenerate their energy after tiring shifts; and establishing workers' funds to provide them with support during illness and hardship.

Duy Huong