Anniversary of first recorded labour action in human history
Tabled 11 November 2025 by Luke Myer
That this House notes that in November 1155 BCE, artisans and tomb-builders at Deir el-Medina in Ancient Egypt undertook the first recorded labour action in human history, laying down their tools in protest over unpaid grain rations; recognises that their peaceful collective action, calling out injustice and demanding fairness, stands as a remarkable early assertion of the dignity of work and the rights of working people; acknowledges that their courage prefigured the long global struggle for fair pay, safe conditions, and respect for labour; celebrates the role of the labour movement in continuing that struggle over millennia, including in the United Kingdom; and believes that it is fitting that this anniversary be marked by the passage of the biggest uplift in British workers’ rights in a generation in the form of the Employment Rights Bill, which will ban exploitative zero-hours contracts, strengthen collective bargaining, and deliver dignity, security, and respect in the workplace.