Politicisation of May Day and ignoring workers’ interest

The International Workers’ Day which is dedicated to remember the historical sacrifices and efforts of the working class is celebrated today worldwide. The origins of May Day goes back to the labour movement of the late 19th century in the United States. 

On 1 May in 1886, thousands of workers across the US went on strike, demanding an eight-hour work day. The demonstrations in Chicago were marred with violence which led to the deaths of several people. The incident had a lasting effect and galvanised labour movements all over the world, eventually leading to the establishment of May Day as a day of labour solidarity and protest.

The first May Day in Sri Lanka was held under the leadership of A.E. Goonesinghe – the Father of Sri Lanka’s labour movement – in 1927. It was in 1956, the May Day was declared as a Public, Bank, and Mercantile holiday. Exactly 31 years ago, during the UNP’s May Day procession, Sri Lanka’s second Executive President Ranasinghe Premadasa was assassinated by the LTTE. 

Unfortunately, in Sri Lanka, the only day of the year which is allocated towards reflecting on the issues faced by the working class as well as their struggles and sacrifices are hijacked by political parties to demonstrate their strength in terms of holding mass public rallies with political slogans. During such events, scant attention is paid towards the plight of workers while the political rhetoric dominates the proceedings, thereby undermining the purpose of the May Day. The media too is busy reporting the verbal warfare which takes place between the mainstream political parties instead of highlighting the critical issues faced by the working class. 

The conduct of trade unions in the country too has been disappointing in terms of safeguarding workers’ rights. Particularly, trade unions attached to the public sector are viewed in disdain and contempt by the general public over their parochial and extremely self-centred conduct that result in a great deal of inconvenience to the masses, often through irresponsible protests and work stoppages. Trade union leaders have been accused of betraying the cause of the working class by working according to the agendas of leaders of political parties to which they are attached. 

The living conditions of the working class witnessed a considerable decline over the last few years due to the devastating economic crisis. Real incomes suffered a marked deterioration because of the high inflationary conditions during 2022. Further, as part of the Domestic Debt Optimisation, the treasury bonds and treasury bills held by the prominent superannuation funds – the Employee Provident Fund (EPF) and Employee Trust Fund – were used to restructure the Government domestic debt by lowering the interest rates. The management of the EPF investments too over the last decade or so by the Central Bank has been pretty dismal, with the contributions of employees having been invested in listed companies with weak fundamentals and sometimes even in companies with negative net assets that were later closed down – e.g. The Finance. Regrettably, trade unions as well as Leftist political parties that portray themselves as the saviours of the working class have not brought such shortcomings into the public attention.

During the COVID pandemic, sections of workers in the private sector had to go through immense hardships. Certain leading garment factories were accused of forcing their employees to work without taking adequate measures to ensure health and safety. In the informal sector, some employers fail to provide a workplace with safe and decent working conditions. The well-being of labourers in the plantation sector is often overlooked and the political leaders who depend on their votes show no inclination to improve their lives.

The value of labour is critical towards the socio-economic development in the 21st Century and it is incumbent upon the nation’s political class to acknowledge it by paying due attention towards their needs and concerns.