Call for workers to unite

By Amal Hewavissenti

May 1 every year marks the international worker's day. The May Day is a type of day for all organisations formed by workers to represent their rights and interests to their employers to improve working conditions or wages.

Sri Lanka too has been celebrating the May Day since the first of May 1934. It is interesting to note that all political parties in Sri Lanka pledge their support for the safeguarding of worker's rights during the meetings and rallies held on the day.

A serious struggle for worker's rights and a consequential suppression have generated the world famous May Day celebrations. In almost every phase of history, workers have staged protests and struggles to win their rights and have often undergone severe suppression by those in authority.

Within the feudal societies, the workers might have had little opportunity to express their ideas or to win privileges within the framework of their working conditions. Instead of guaranteeing the rights of workers, the feudal tradition may have exerted tremendous pressure on the workers in struggle.

As the feudal tradition improved into more civilised social system, the workers had better chance to express themselves. The widespread industrialisation enabled workers to organise themselves for their rights at the outset of nineteenth century.

The workers' organisation in America and their struggles for the stipulations of working hours paved the way for a broader revolution in America somewhere in 1878. The "knights of Labour' an organisation established by working people of Chicago strongly demanded that the present twelve hours of working for a labourer should be diminished to eight working hours.

A few years prior to this move there had been several attempts, on the part of American working people, to decrease the working hours to eight. The workers of America had become more organised and demanded that the working hours should be limited to eight hours. Yet, the more strict and tactful employers instantly neutralised workers' struggles in their earliest phase.

The workers' organisation "Knights of Labour" formally informed all authorities that workers would go on strike from 1st of May 1886 unless the authorities would limit the 12 working hours to eight hours. This announcement of trade union action bore all the marks of massive workers' struggle and it considerably alarmed the authorities.

Struggle

Most employers in authority vehemently opposed the trade union action of the workers and some other employers, alarmed by the intensity of the struggle agreed to limit the working hours to eight hours. Thus the aggressive nature of the struggle had already won rights for the workers.

Meanwhile, some employers in authority who had brutally oppressed workers threatened to chase away the workers on strike and assertively expressed their objection to the demands put forward by them.

On May 1st 1886, Chicago became a city of turmoil. Around hundred thousand workers determined to remove themselves from work until their demands were granted, marched the streets of America, For the first time in world history, workers had the largest gathering in one city. The rallies of the workers were well organised by worker leaders who assured that the strike went on continually. By May 3, 1886, the total number of workers on strike numbered to some staggering 60,000 and leaders such as August Spice and Samuel Fielden gripped the workers' attention by appealing speeches.

Here Samuel Fielden who delivered a dynamic and mesmeric speech before the workers said that May 1 would become a historic day when they achieved freedom as working people. The workers and strikers marched the streets uttering numerous slogans and cheering up the speeches being delivered by leaders to encourage them.

The factory owners and other employers in authority instantly realised the gravity of the struggle and employed police to disperse the workers and strikers in rallies on the streets of Chicago.

The armed police launched a fierce attack on them until they dispersed in every direction.

The leaders of 'Knights of Labour" instantly called for a protest rally against the police-attack to be staged at Hay market square on the following day (May 4). Here the worker leaders mourned the deaths of four workers who succumbed to police attack and thereby sacrificed their lives for the rights of working people throughout the world.

Departure

Meanwhile, the Chicago police again attacked the workers who were arriving at the Haymarket Square to stage their protest against the killing of four people in the rally. Here the Mayor of Chicago City (Carton Harrison) closely observed the workers being assaulted by police and remained with the protesting workers. Carton Harrison, the Mayor, strongly condemned the police assault and blocked every possibility of attack on the protest rally.

After the departure of the Mayor, the police arrived at where the protest rally was taking place and there was a discussion between the police and the workers leaders over cancelling out of the rally.

Over disagreement, the Chicago police and the workers were engaged in a fierce conflict in which both police officers and hundreds of workers died.

At this crucial point, the police and the factory owners succeeded in suppressing the freedom struggle of workers and several worker leaders were immediately arrested.

George Engles, Adolf Fisher, August Spice, Samuel Fielden, Michael Stwatch were the worker leaders who were arrested.

After the trial, Samuel Fielden and Michael Stwatch were condemned to life imprisonment while August Spice, George Engles, Albert Parsons, Luois Ling and Adolf Fielden were sentenced to be hanged.

In 1889, International Workers Organisation formally announced that May 1st every year should be celebrated as the international workers day. This was to celebrate the historic struggle of workers in which many sacrificed their lives to safeguard the rights of the working people throughout the world.

In 1890, America, Cuba and Chill celebrated international workers day', for the first time and today almost every country of the world celebrates this historic day.

Later Governor Altgade concluded, on consideration of the case, that all worker leaders who were imprisoned and hanged were totally innocent.