Labour and Politics:

Labour is referred to as a mode of employment in any form. There is Wage Labour where a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer is made. In the Wage Labour the worker sells their labour to the employer. Another form of Labour is Manual labour where physical work is required. In manual labour the labourer work with the hands like road building, fruit picking and so on.

Politics:

Politics is referred to as a social relations involving conspiracy to gain power. Nigeria in its political economy has shown some classical features of colonial economy which made Nigeria to tighten the grip on its export of primary products. In the 1930s the UAC alone has been into 40% import and export business with Nigeria.

In the United State there was a minimum wage tragedy which has gone beyond the 15 million US workers who were earning $5.15 per hour or $ 206 per week. In which the tax deduction has to be added. It has been said that the wage which was set in September 1997 by the Congress was already low. On the other hand the cost of living rose 26 percent since 1997.

Adding oil to the fire Congress has kept it frozen which created agitation among the labourers. On the other hand the minimum wages in France and Britain are much higher than in the US.  The issues are related to politics in there.  They ask the politicians to address the problem. This minimum wages has affected the mobilization, militancy and most especially the political consciousness of the people. There was a clash between the employers and the workers because the workers want more minimum wages which are contradicted by the employers.

On the other hand, the Labour and Politics in Ireland took a different form. The knowledge of theoretical socialism is spread among the workers. Class consciousness is rooted deeply in the country. They had the constituencies, wards and wanted to fight for the working class. Mr. John Redmond , the member of Parliament beseeched the Irish workers to elect landlords for them. The old political parties were swept to confusion which gave victory to the Irish workers who laughed at the droning counsel. The one important thing is that this victory came with demoralization. They lacked social morals.

As days passed by, there was suggestion to form a political party in Ireland which should be poised with all organized bodies upon the basis of the principle of labour and politics. But, the instigation of the political union was not waiting upon the realization of industrial union.

Questions

• What is Labour?
• What is the impact of minimum wage tragedy on workers?