全通翻譯/翻譯社

A Brief History of the Labor

The origins of the labor movement lie in the Industrial Revolution that began in Britain in the mid-18th century. As industrialization and mechanization occurred, wages lowered and jobs were relocated to areas of concentrated industry. Unable to protect themselves against these developments, workers formed what were the forerunners of trade unions in an attempt to shore up their collective bargaining power.

Freedom of association is a central tenet of the labor movement, yet it was not until 1867 that restrictions on the formation of unions were completely removed in Britain. The stated purpose of unions is the improvement of working conditions, through negotiation by union leaders on behalf of workers. These days, union participation and power varies greatly from country to country. Scandinavia, for instance, maintains some of the strongest unions, while China, which demands workers join the state-controlled All-China Federation of Trade Unions, has effectively banned independent unions. Attitudes toward striking also vary greatly from one place to another. In some countries, the right to refuse to work is considered sacrosanct across the board. Elsewhere, including the U.S. and Taiwan, the right of public employees to strike are greatly circumscribed.


勞工運動簡史

勞工運動始於 18 世紀中葉從英國開啟的工業革命。隨著工業化與機械化，工資逐漸減少且工作機會移往產業密集的地區。無法保護自己免受這些發展影響的勞工們便成立了工會的前身，希望能藉此保障集體談判的能力。

集會自由是勞工運動的中心信條，但是在英國成立工會的限制直到一八六七年才完全移除。工會的主要目的在於由工會領袖代表勞工進行談判以改善工作條件。近來，各國勞工對於工會的參與度及工會的權力各有不同。例如，北歐仍保有一些相當強勢的工會，而中國則要求所有勞工加入由國家控制的中華全國總工會，並實質禁止獨立的工會。各地對於罷工的態度也大異其趣。在某些國家，拒絕工作的權力被廣泛認定是神聖不可侵犯的。在其他地方，包括美國和台灣，公僕的罷工權益則大大受限。

資料來源：biz 互動英語電子報