Labour in Malaszec
This page describes the historical and current state of labour in Malaszec.
History
During the late imperial age
While organized labour existed in some form as guilds during the Imperial era, the modern idea of trade union first appeared in Malaszec after the country’s 1919 industrial revolution. Around this time, factories cropped up in cities, ushering a period of rapid urbanization. Meanwhile, demand for minerals led to the creation of mining towns in place of what used to be farmland. Management of industrial institutions was put in the hand of feudal lords, who often failed to adapt labour policy for this rapid industrialization. Discontent brewed among peasants, who now worked close together in factories and mines, who formed the country’s first labour unions.
Various strikes were held by labour unions during the late imperial age. Some unions were successful in enacting change, such as during the 1923 Selisije factory and dock workers’ strike reducing the work week from a 9-day work week with 1 rest day to a 6-day work week with 1 rest day. However, feudal administration tried their best to quash union activity, and strikes often turned violent. Clashes between workers and the feudal system led to the popularity of communist ideals, ultimately culminating in the 1932 Revolutionary War and the formation of the Malaszec People’s Republic (MPR).
During the Malaszec People’s Republic
Early in the creation of the MPR, the idea of factories, mines, and farms being owned by labour unions under some coordinating body was held by various communist political theorists. In the first few years of its creation, the MPR was organized under this idea, but the Unity faction advocated for more power to be given to this coordinating body, called the Malaszec People’s Labour Committee (MPLC). The Unity faction became more powerful, in part to the political maneuvering of Arekos Kregir, who would go on to become the country’s dictator. In addition, the lack of organized labour in the faerie country made it harder to create a sense of cohesion as the communists marched south, even though many peasants were sympathetic to the communist cause. On the other hand, with a more powerful MPLC, the Unity faction were able to solidify their grasp on local governments at the cost of local freedom.
During the MPR’s initial rush to unify the Malaszec peninsula and wrest it from the remaining nobility, the communists promised the people various labour reforms as part of their platform. Many of these promises were actually implemented, such as reducing work hours. The 7-day week was instituted nationwide, with 6 days work and 1 day of rest, and with Saturdays and Wednesdays as half days.
When Malaszec began to stabilize in the mid 1940s, the power of the central government, and by extension, the MPLC grew significantly. Since both the government and trade unions were supposedly under worker control, the government leadership used this to justify their heavy influence in unions. Effectively, government policy was union policy.
Labour unions
The labour unions which the former MPR government had such great influence on during the communist era became company unions. Rather than a national government influencing union business, a union is heavily influenced by management for the particular company they are associated with. Truly independent unions are virtually nonexistent, as any relevant unions are company unions. A Zloije or other comparatively large company in Malaszec might have one large coordinating body for all unions in the corporate structure, often the Zloije’s political think tank participating in Federal legislature.
The workweek
To keep workers content during the transition between the former MPR and the current Federation, the workweek structure from the MPR was retained. A typical white collar worker works 6 days a week, with Wednesdays and Saturdays as half days, and Sundays off. Some workers, such as retail workers, might have longer working days. Workweek structure is usually only applicable to employees directly employed by a Zloije or one of its subsidiaries. A “contract farm,” for example, where an independent contractor rents farmland from corporate in exchange for a share of its profits, has no workweek restrictions applied. Work hours, weekends, and half days are prescribed by whoever is employing the farmhands.