Sentence:  The editorial was based on a news association dispatch which said that the telegraphers had secured an agreement whereby they were guaranteed 40 hours ' pay per week whether they <WSD>worked</WSD> or not and that a reduction in their number was limited to 2 per cent per year . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity