Severance compensation is part of workers' rights.
Workers' rights are those powers and guarantees available to all people who carry out a work activity . These are principles and powers established by law and, therefore, vary according to each legislation.
The extension of the working day and the minimum wage are some of the issues that are defined in labor regulations and that are considered part of workers ' rights. This means that no employee is obliged to work more hours or for less money than the relevant provisions establish.
History of workers' rights
The history of workers' rights is very old. However, a long time ago the reality of those who worked was very different from today.
It must be taken into account that human beings began to divide the work in times of subsistence through hunting and gathering. At that time it was a resource to increase the chances of survival. When activities began to become more sophisticated and the first specializations emerged, distribution also became more sophisticated and inequalities and hierarchies began to appear.
Little by little, a notion of labor abuses was acquired and thus a demand for justice and equity was born that can be associated, at least in part, with the modern concept of labor rights. The first strike to demand better conditions is believed to have taken place in Ancient Egypt during the construction of the tomb of Pharaoh Ramses III .
According to historians, in the Roman Empire the regulation of work was formalized through a contract between the worker and the employer, who was in any case his lord or owner. At that time guilds also emerged.
Only at the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century was the idea of workers' rights consolidated as we understand it today. After the Industrial Revolution and with the overcrowding and exploitation of workers in factories, unions appeared and a class consciousness was forged that led to numerous confrontations between workers and company owners.
Workers' rights provide protection against unfair changes in working conditions.
The social conflict
After the Industrial Revolution and based on the works of intellectuals such as Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels (authors of "The Communist Manifesto" , which was published in 1848 ), socialism was strengthened as an ideology or political movement that, among other issues, demanded more rights for workers and called to fight capitalism .
Fearing a revolution, the rulers of various countries began to generate legislation in favor of the workers, trying to reduce social tension. A pioneering nation was Germany , which enacted laws on Health Insurance (1883), Work Accident Insurance (1884), and Disability and Old Age Insurance (1889), for example.
Protests, however, were frequent in many regions. A historic event took place on May 1, 1886 , when workers at the McCormick factory in Chicago ( United States ) demanded an 8-hour work day and were brutally repressed, resulting in numerous fatalities. For this event, today, every May 1, International Workers' Day is commemorated.
An important advance in workers' rights occurred after World War II , when the concept of social security was strengthened. In any case, due to the antagonistic interests of employees and employers , the confrontations between both parties never ceased, although now they tend to be resolved in collective bargaining or in judicial instances.
It cannot be omitted to mention that workers' rights are recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that the United Nations ( UN ) approved in 1948 . There is reference to both the right to work that all people have and that said work presents "equitable conditions" with " satisfactory remuneration" , "reasonable limitation" of the duration of the day and paid vacations , for example.
The rights of workers in fishing are often violated.
Examples of workers' rights
Take the case of a young woman who works as a teller in a banking institution. This employee contracts pneumonia, making her unable to go to her workplace. The girl, in this context, requests sick leave . This is a right that allows you not to work until you are medically discharged, still receiving your entire salary .
Let us now think of a group of bricklayers working on the construction of a building. On this work site, safety regulations are not respected and the employer does not provide them with basic protection elements, such as helmets and gloves. Aware of the right to a safe work environment , they demand better conditions from the employer and warn him that, if he does not provide them with a satisfactory response, they will go to the union so that the corresponding measures can be taken.
Let's consider the situation that a man and a woman go through in a consulting firm. Both are lawyers, with the same academic training and similar experience. However, the man receives a higher salary for the same task. That is why women, knowing that labor legislation provides protection against employment discrimination , demand equal remuneration .
The importance of registered work
It must be taken into account that labor rights can only be protected and enforced when workers have a formal contract . Those who work illegally are "invisible" to labor laws because there is no record of their activity.
An informal worker, therefore, does not have the right to strike : if he decides to interrupt the activity, his employer can make the decision to dismiss him. Because you lack protection against unfair dismissal, you will not receive compensation .
Similarly, someone can pay a black employee a certain salary for eight hours of work a day. However, it is common for him to work nine or even ten hours in practice. It is not about paid overtime and the worker does not have legal tools to defend his rights.
The right to unionize, retirement contributions and the right to breaks are also not available to those who work without a formal contract. In short, these men and women have no protection against labor exploitation .