The Importance of Teaching Labor History in Employment and Labor Law

Labor history is concerned with the social movements and struggles of the wage earners and encompasses the developments of trade unions and working class parties. Labor history is hardly a subject that can be taught given the present context in focus, for it mostly accommodates the various collective actions taken by these parties and how the campaigns, boycotts, petitions and strikes of this sector have carved out the business practices of today. Hence for educators who teach subjects such as employment and labor law, a stringent focus on labor history is required in order to develop an understanding of the working class.

It is worth mentioning here that in the academic world, employment and labor law and the education of working class history was not considered to be of significant importance until the past few decades. Despite the presence of excellent works produced in this domain, the subject was not included in the curriculums in universities and colleges. The trend however changed in the late 1960s when historical research included this domain to form a part of social history. It was then that the academic world introduced this subject in order to help develop understanding of labor organizations and the roles they play in framing economical and political systems. Given the increasing rate of modernizing reforms in this era, labor movements seemed to strengthen and the education of the same became critical.

In the current world however, we see a decline in the interest towards this field. Very few students seem to be interested in the history of labor and the notions surrounding this class. Business in the current world cannot survive without developing a thorough understanding of these supportive worlds. Labor laws and unions needs to be understood in an intercultural context in order to provide a brighter future to the workers. There is also a critical need for future research and policy development in this domain. The works we now teach in our classes span centuries yet fail to cover a broad expanse of the developments that have pushed civilizations towards success.

With a universal impact of industrialization, labor unions too have changed and so have the workers who continue to enrich our businesses across the globe. Labor education therefore needs to evolve from a tradition-oriented approach that focuses merely on the defensive aspects of this class. We need to move beyond this defensive tactic and focus on the mutual benefits of both the classes and their influence on the society in order to enjoy a future that promises progression and incessant improvement.