In Era Of Inclusivity, Why Is There Colossal Ignorance Towards Dignity Of Labour?

Two incidents pop up in my head that are inarguably mirror images of how the dignity of labour takes opposite positions across the globe. In 2023, when we were spending the summers in an utterly charming cottage in Inverness, Scotland, our bathroom pipe perished. We were aptly surprised by the swag of the plumber who stepped out of a fancy car. With his silver mop of hair and whipping out his spectacles, spoke eloquently and commanded respect. We were labouring under a misapprehension of him being the owner until we saw his toolbox. Maybe the real cost for expensive labour is to treat them like equals, make them sit in the living room and offer a cup of tea with cookies.

Why Is There A Colossal Ignorance Towards The Dignity Of Labour?

Moving on to an incident diametrically different from the one mentioned above. My house help had a severe skin rash last week, so I took her to a dermatologist. With a voice as shrill as it can be the doctor asked a few questions about what she does, and from where she got the infection. While he was noting down the symptoms he kept repeating “These people are like this”.  He said it cursorily, almost matter–of–factly, without any admission of guilt. My house help looked evidently disappointed, but she quickly capitulated as if it was all her fault, and it was okay to be treated this way. I stared at the doctor with such incredulity that he looked away. 

I didn’t know what to bemoan more, his attitude towards my help or her silent acceptance towards disrespect. Maybe the blue-collar workers get sledged with the same hammer and choice of words and I am also sure that many other stories are much more gruesome than this one.

Bending over backward to take a more nuanced position on this issue I feel, what was at work was bias, and lack of respect which has become mindlessly vicious for domestic workers. Even if I see people doing something good for their maids or menials, it comes from a sense of “I’m superior to them” and not genuine empathy and kindness. Treating acts of kindness as a matter of pride or propriety can perpetuate an unfair power dynamic and undermine the sincerity of actions. It's crucial to recognize the dignity and worth of every individual, regardless of their role or status in the society. 

In the era of diversity, equality, and inclusion, where there is so much noise around the need for diversity and inclusion in society, why is there still a colossal ignorance and disregard towards dignity of labour? Dignity of labour is something that we lack miraculously.

The definition of "dignity" is frequently buried beneath the weight of the battle to survive in a culture that has been severely oppressed for decades by caste, creed, colour, language, race, ethnicity, or any other situational variable that faces the same eventuality. If one believes that dignity is worth having, then it is worth fighting for. This is not just a fight for workers; it is a fight for all of us.

Invariably on your foreign trips you would meet people who are pursuing a career/ job and in their free time they work as a nanny, dog walker, or a retail sales associate. May be an administrative assistant, library assistant, animal caretaker, lifeguard, car cleaner, bartender, or front job at the coffee shops. In Australia, a data scientist becomes a cab driver just to make life easy for a while and no one will judge him for his life choices or treat him based on the profession he/she has picked. There is a common consensus that legally earned and ethically earned money is money well earned.

No matter how progressive we become in our lifestyle, per capita income, social equality, education, technology, healthcare, human rights and economic development, lack of dignity of labour has always tiptoed its way around. There are many takers for the history of subjugation, and deep-rooted casteist mindset but the hard-hitting reality is that we are all caught up in the viciousness of disrespecting people working in the unorganised sector. 

We let them eat in futile pity, the cook who cooks for the entire family shall not eat in the same utensils. For once take them out of the ecosystem and see how miserably life will collapse and operations fail without them.  

Being valued and respected comes at the core of human existence. There is an undeniable need to treat every worker in every strata of society with respect. Why can’t we work towards a zone where dignity is a promise irrespective of the labour attached to it?

Authored by Radhika Dhingra 

Views expressed are the author's own.