The day for working people

You may have heard or read in the papers that this year's May Day celebrations are to be held on April 30. Yes, that's true, the government made this decision as this year's Vesak Poya also falls on the same day, May 1.

So, all the colourful displays of flags, banners and placards will be seen tomorrow. Although the occasion has now been politicised, in the past, it was purely a day for working people.

May Day, also known as Labour Day, is the day when workers' rights come to the fore. It is associated with

 the commemoration of the social and economic achievements of the global labour movement.

It is celebrated on May 1 because, it was on May 1, 1886 that the eight-hour work day, demanded by the Federation of Organised Trades and Labour Unions of the United States for its workers, was to come into effect. It wasn't unusual for people to work 14, 16 or even 18-hour shifts during this era.

The demand led to a general strike and the now well-known Haymarket Riot of 1886, but eventually, the eight-hour work day received official approval. Higher wages and the right to organise were the other demands made by the workers.

The resolution making May Day an international event was adopted in Paris on July 14, 1889, on the 100th anniversary of the Fall of the Bastille, when leaders from organised revolutionary movements of many countries got together for a meeting.

At the next congress, held in 1891 in Brussels, it was highlighted that besides demanding an eight-hour working day, that the day must also serve as a demonstration on behalf of the demands to improve working conditions, and to ensure peace among nations.

Later, in the 20th century, the holiday received the official support of the Soviet Union, and came to be celebrated also as the Day of the International Solidarity of Workers. Although May Day originated from the 'Eight-Hour Movement' of the United States, Labour Day is now celebrated there on the first Monday of September. Some believe that this was to avoid the commemoration of the riots that had occurred in 1886.

The adoption of May Day by communists and socialists as their primary holiday may have further cemented official resistance to celebrate May Day in America.

Countries like Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands also celebrate Labour Day on different dates, according to how the holiday originated in those countries.

In Sri Lanka, commemorating May Day as a day for workers officially started during the period of the Late Prime Minister S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike. The day was also declared a public holiday during this period.