And Then There’s Our Version of Labour…

Today is 1st May. Labour Day. A public holiday. But let’s be real—walk outside in Lahore, and you’ll see almost everything running like a regular day. Shops are open. Restaurants are buzzing. Waiters, delivery guys, construction workers, guards—everyone is working.

So, who's actually getting the holiday? Mostly office workers, school/college staff, and people in white-collar jobs. That’s it. The real “mazdoor” is still grinding. The irony hits different.

A little history for context: Labour Day started because of the labour movement in the U.S. back in the 1800s. Workers were demanding fair working hours—basically the 8-hour workday we take for granted now. They protested, struggled, even lost lives. And that sacrifice gave birth to Labour Day. The idea was to honour labour and fight for workers' rights.

But in Pakistan, it somehow became more about just a chutti for offices.

Now let’s talk about us—people like me, working in tech or design or corporate jobs. If you ask me honestly, we’ve kinda become labour too. Just with fancier chairs and Wi-Fi.

I’ve worked at companies where projects suddenly got shut down, and so did our jobs—no explanation, no backup plan, just “thank you, best of luck.” When I asked how I was supposed to trust them again or rely on such a setup, that was called batameezi. I’ve seen teams sitting for 10 to 12 hours straight because “client ka pressure hai” and nobody wanted to speak up. And then there were those companies trying to cut costs in the strangest ways—one even stopped the morning tea just to save a few rupees. When we did get tea, we were reminded to check the clock like it was some special favour.

And in return? More taxes. No clean air in cities like Lahore. Basic healthcare? Good luck. We’re just surviving.

We may not lift bricks, but we carry pressure. Deadlines. Overwork. Layoffs. Gaslighting. Burnout. That’s also labour, no?

So yeah, maybe we don’t fit into the traditional “mazdoor” box. But we’re not exactly living the dream either.

To all my fellow designers, developers, writers, marketers, and everyone in between—happy Labour Day. You’ve earned your rest. And if you didn’t get it today, I hope you take a break soon.

We all deserve better. And not just on one day.