May Day celebrations and cultural bankruptcy

In the face of globalization:

by Indeewara Thilakarathne

As thousands of workers led by diverse trade unions and political parties converge in Colombo to mark the International Workers' Day, the significance and the relevance of the May Day should be re-assed against the back drop of changing class relations and inescapable globalization which has virtually changed the industrial relations throughout the globe.

The history of May Day can be traced back to the campaigning for an eight hour working day by Philadelphia workers and the subsequent resolution adapted at the Convention of Federation of Organised Trade and Labour Unions of the United States and Canada held on May 1, 1884. The resolution reads as "that eight hour shall constitute a legal day's labour from and after May 1, 1886."

However, the declaration of the May Day as International Workers' Day was made by the Congress at its Second International held in Paris on July 14, 1889 coincided with the centenary of the fall of Bastille following the French revolution.

The Congress resolution states, "The Congress decides to organise a great international demonstration, so that in all countries and in all cities on one appointed day, the toiling masses shall demand of the state authorities the legal reduction of the working day to eight hours, as well as carrying out of the other decisions of the Paris Congress."

In 1891, May Day was, for the first time, celebrated in Russia, Brazil and Ireland. Chinese celebrated the first May Day in 1920 followed by India which celebrated first ever May Day in 1927 with demonstrations held different cities including Calcatta, Madras and Bombay.

The May Day celebration in Sri Lanka was consequent to the advent of trade unions and leftist political parties. The Ceylon Labour Union, the first trade union founded by veteran trade unionist A.E. Gunasinghe on September 2, 1922, was credited with holding the first May Day demonstration in Colombo.

The Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) which is the first political party established in 1935, held its first May Day rally in 1936 at Paris Park. It was presided over by Colvin R. de Silva. The Communist Party held the May Day in 1944 with large number of its supporter.

Although May Day was celebrated as early as 1922 in Sri Lanka, it had not been a public holiday until 1956. It was T.B. Illangaratne, then Minister of Labour in S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike's Government who declared May Day as a public holiday.

Perhaps the most colourful May Day rallies and processions were conducted by the leftist parties including Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP), Communist Party of Sri Lanka (CP) and the JVP led by its charismatic leader Rohana Wijeweera. The trade unions also conducted May Day rallies at different venues in Colombo.

May Day rallies were held under different themes, generally to air the grievances of the working class and with the intension of improving their working and living conditions.

Cultural degradation

However, May Day processions increasingly became platforms for politicians to attack their political opponents and features such as fancy dress parades mimicking the political figures included in the May Day procession deviating from the founding objectives of the May Day.

It has been degraded to such an extent that a woman with plastered eye was deployed in the May Day procession organised by the United National Party to attack the former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga who lost an eye in a LTTE suicide bomb at Town Hall.

It has also become a gory feature that a culture of virulent attacking women who try to break the conventional role, symbolizing cultural and ideological bankruptcy on the part of the political leaders who relied on cheap tactics of herding their members in fleet of buses to Colombo, offering them liquor and food and music. The music is provided by a pop-band and play songs from an adjacent platform to the main stage which is occupied by political leaders.

It is the cardinal responsibility on the part of the political leadership of the country to up lift the standard of public taste of the nation instead of lowering it , making Sri Lanka a cultural desert.

If the political leaders address rallies on May Day, their focus should be on improving the economy and the Human Development Index and also the sustainable development of the country rather than trading insult against one another. Otherwise the nation will dramatise the shameful conditions in front of the political podiums depicting the deplorable state of the bankrupt political culture.

Leftists and socialists refined the nation

It is best that the political parties leave the May Day for workers and Trade Unions to celebrate "heir day."

However, the leftist political parties, especially LSSP and CP have not only a moral right to celebrate the May Day as the workers' rights are those won by them through agitations but also for their significant contribution in educating the masses and protesting against social scourges such as castisim, racism, communalism and even regionalism which had always been a stumbling block to development of human capitals.

Their contribution towards building an educated and refined nation is historic. Iconic figure such as Peter Keunaman's illustrious political career spanning decades bear testimony to the service he rendered as Minister of Housing albeit he did not propagate his contribution.

During his short spell as the Minister of Housing, manifold housing projects came up compared to those who hilariously counted on private houses put up in the neighbourhood of the housing projects as those inspired by the project and exploited the openings of the housing projects as an image building exercise at the public expense.

Changing scenarios

In the face of the globalization and the manifold changes that brought about it on local situations, the working class should also change the traditional approach to settling industrial disputes and the weapon of striking should be used as a last resort as the modern day industrialists and investors can transfer the capital across boundaries with much ease against world wide investment friendly climate.

The global capital market is increasingly becoming volatile, especially, against the back drop of looming energy crisis and prospect of rising oil prices, the political stability, industrial peace with a skilled work force have become essential condition for an investment friendly environment.

As the factories have to meet their targets, a wild cat strike may incur a loss amounting into millions. Especially strikes in the vital sectors such as port and air port should be averted by trade unionists and their affiliated political parties as they will not threaten the employment of those who work in these vital installations but also endangering the national economy.

It is the responsibility of the trade unions and their members to make May Day meaningful by agitating for the protection of workers fundamental rights and to win their demands through negotiations with the employers rather than resorting to strike action at the first instance of a dispute.

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