International Workers’ Day chalks 135 this year

It is sad to note that ever since the political parties entered the workers’ arena, Sri Lanka lost the meaning and real value of May Day – Pic by Shehan Gunasekara 

By Wattala E. Weerapperuma

May Day, the International Workers’ Day, this year chalks 135, and celebrates in a completely different milieu unlike other years owing to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic still spreading in different forms and moving close to two years affecting every aspect of human life unheard of, during the past 20th century.

On the strict orders of the health authorities, there would not be May Day rallies as such in our country and according to available information, the celebrations of May Day worldwide would also be limited to telecasting of events related to Workers’ Day, via the internet. Sri Lanka trade unions also would follow suit.

This day was chosen to celebrate as the International Workers’ Day or Labour Day by Second International, a pan-national organisation of Socialist and Communist Political Parties to mark the Haymarket affair which had occurred in Chicago on 1 May 1886.

Workers rallied round at the Haymarket Square, Chicago on 1 May 1886 demanding the limit of the working hours to eight per day to work better in a conducive atmosphere and not 16 hours as imposed by the industrialists of the day.

The Workers’ Day, or May Day, as we refer now, has its beginning at the National Convention held in Chicago in the year 1884, organised by the Federation of Trades and Labour Unions, which was later referred to as ‘America Federation of Labour’.

They alleged that America one of the best industrialist countries in the world forced the workers to work 16 hours a day. The workers were treated as slaves, not as human beings with dignity. They united as one workforce and decided to stage a protest, stop work demanding that eight-hour-day-work be adopted. They went on strike on 1 May 1886.

In 1904, the International Sociologist Conference in Amsterdam, the Sixth Conference of the Second International called on “all Social Democratic Party Organisations and Trade Unions of all countries to demonstrate energetically on the First of May for the legal establishment of the 8-hour day, for the class demands of the proletariat, and for universal peace”.

On the day the world marked the centenary of the French Revolution, in the year 1889, the resolution was adopted to celebrate 1 May, as Workers’ Day and the world began celebrating Workers’ Day, on 1 May 1890, and onwards. Thus, this year chalks 131 years in celebrating the World Labour Day; May Day.

Sri Lanka celebrated Workers’ Day for the first time in 1935. Thus, while the world’s working class hold May Day or, the Day of the Labour, for the 135th year, we in Sri Lanka, celebrate May Day for the 86th year. In the year 1956, May Day was declared a holiday, in Sri Lanka.

The celebration though held this year in a totally different milieu, the message is renewed, and re-imprinted in the minds of the workers and the rest, as to how the first Labour Trade Unions’ demonstration achieved their demands sacrificing precious eight lives of their colleagues.

The first world recorded labour strike saw around 80,000 workers peacefully gathering; holding hand in unity, but the very unfortunate event occurred on that peaceful labour rally, when the police moved to disperse the rallying workers resulting in eruption of violence and a bomb been thrown by an unidentified person killing and injuring some innocent families attending the rally with workers.

The rebels arrested by Police were convicted on the ground of their social and political beliefs.

This year Sri Lanka and countries across the world affected severely by the still-spreading COVID-19 or coronavirus, are forced to limit their gathering strictly observing the health guideline for the better of their own selves and their families, spouses, children and loved ones.

In many ways the current situation, strictly imposed on the working class, serves good in a way, for many – including the workers themselves have lost, forgotten or ignored the real meaning of the celebration of the International Labour Day, and its relevance. They forget the meaning of the declaration of May Day, because they have enslaved themselves to party politics, criticise and attack their own brother/sister workers who shed their blood and sweat to make better the lives of the rest. 

They forget their own rights, as workers, wearing politically-painted colour glasses and affiliation to political parties of their choice creating divisions among themselves harmful to their own interest as workers and thus allowing the rest of the world to ignore the respect due to the rights engraved in the Workers’ Charter.

The International Labour Movement for workers specially assigned, promoted, set aside this Labour Day for the workers to get together as co-workers and celebrate the day. A major part of the world encourages the workers to come together to take stock of their achievements as well as losses. It is a day assigned to evaluate their social commitment, take the stock of their work during the past year, find their weak points and take measures to remedy them and resolve, not repeat mistakes as, their carelessness might be very detrimental to the good of the whole society, to which they too belong as part and parcel of the bigger and wider society. The prevailing condition this year has given everyone the opportunity to evaluate their commitment to the larger society.

The workers with sane minds would see party politics entering their arena has destroyed drastically their rights as workers enshrined in the Workers’ Charter. Hence, they now can resolve as to how they should go about, work together as workers, setting aside their petty political affiliations which bring no happiness but hate. If the workers want, they can get out being slaves of party politics; build the workers forte as enshrined in the Workers’ Charter, instead of being members of a battlefield of divergent political parties wanting to test their strength over the rest. When will that day dawn, where the workers get together, celebrate the day in the spirit of the brotherhood? When will the workers realise that politicians have manipulated, twisting the meaning of the day; the day to be a playing field of their own gaining, counting on heads, and never talk about the workers but the political parties, they represent?

• The workers divided on party politics ground should realise, that May Day is their day and they should rally around in the spirit of brotherhood, share their experience, exchange views and reflect on the past year. They should remember the work they do, is, more than a way of making a living. If the dignity of labour is to be held high, it is of paramount importance to respect the basic rights of the workers. The right to produce work, decency, fair wages, right to form, join unions and economic initiative, have to be respected

The workers divided on party politics ground should realise, that May Day is their day and they should rally around in the spirit of brotherhood, share their experience, exchange views and reflect on the past year. They should remember the work they do, is, more than a way of making a living. If the dignity of labour is to be held high, it is of paramount importance to respect the basic rights of the workers. The right to produce work, decency, fair wages, right to form, join unions and economic initiative, have to be respected.

Sri Lanka, then Ceylon celebrated Workers’ Day in the year 1933, for the first time under the leadership of A.E. Goonasinghe, the Founder of the Ceylon Labour Party. Hence, he has been duly accoladed the honorary title ‘Father of Labour Movement’. But it is sad to note that ever since the political parties entered the workers’ arena,

Sri Lanka lost the meaning and real value of May Day. The political parties entered to exhibit their political power, and their strength than to show their genuineness in the working class. 

The opportunity has now drawn to the working class, to wake up from the deep slumber; open up their minds and hearts and see for themselves the folly of being bang as political stooges and to withdraw from it for good and join hands hold high the dignity of labour, in brotherhood with the entire workforce and stand for justice and fair play and also to create a better world for the working-class devoid of politics and work with determination to create a country prospering through their labour and sweat.