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by Sqn. Ldr., J. T. Rex Fernando (SLAF RTD)

Workers all over the world will be celebrating May Day today. Sri Lanka will be no exception. It is another May Day and the question on most perceptive observers' lips is to what extent would the day be relevant and memorable for the workers of this country and to what degree would issues pertaining to labour be taken up and championed on May Day platforms by political parties is another.

It has been the habit of successive governments and trade unions to celebrate with mere pomp and pageantry, but with no significant gains for the working class. While successive governments have failed to keep their promises, trade unions themselves in general have over the years failed to fulfill their obligations to the workers and the nation. A little introspection on this all important day is not only appropriate but timely, particularly in the context of worker disillusionment in the unions.

When we consider the form and manner of the celebrations and the various slogans, speeches and platitudes that will be expresses at the various rallies and demonstrations one wonders how much of the significance of the workers rights and responsibilities will permeate the minds of those who will participate in the various May Day celebrations.

Divisive political issues rather than the question of worker welfare are likely to dominate May Day speeches and tirades. This of course, is a far cry from what May Day ought to be, fore, the traditional focus of May Day is the working class and its interests.

To dip into history of the May Day, it was after the American workers launched a struggle for an eight-hour working day in Chicago that the May Day came into being. This day acquired official recognition as an International Labour Day at the International Socialist Congress.

Since then workers the world over have used this day to re-affirm their solidarity and to ventilate their grievances. Demonstrations took different forms in different countries.

In Sri Lanka union activities commenced in 1922, when the first association of workers was formed under the leadership of A. E. Goonesingha. It is this union that initiated the commemoration of May Day with rallies and demonstrations. May Day however assumed significance only after 1956 when 1st May was declared a National Holiday. Although at the beginning, celebrations on May Day were confined to trade unions of the left parties, right, and centrist parties started showing an active interest in May Day in the early 1960s.

Since then each political party having built its own trade union wing waited for May Day to show its strength and political power. The Jatika Vimukthi Peramuna, in particular, subtly used May Day to demonstrate their political power and increasing support of the workers.

For nearly five decades trade unions in the country have celebrated May Day.

However May Day does not have the dynamic importance it should have for the worker himself. It tends to be the occasion for slogan slinging rallies and processions with political emphasis. By this, in a sense, the aspirations of the worker are marginalised.

May Day is essentially a workers' day strictly speaking. It should be celebrated as an occasion that signifies the emancipation and the beginning of a workers' movement to secure them place in the sun and also in the context of unethical conduct by certain politically aligned unions. A little introspection on this all important day is not only appropriate but timely, particularly in the context of the present worker disillusionment in unions. Some of the pertinent questions the leadership must ask itself are:

a) What is the significance of "May Day" to the average workers? As it is well known, May Day highlights the dignity of labour

b) Have the trade unions veered out of line?

c) Are the unions able to boast any significant achievements for the working class? Have the unions lost more than what they might have gained for themselves?

d) Have the unions acted with responsibility and supported the process of national development.

Significance

Trade unions came into existence in an atmosphere of hospitality from employers and governments.

With the passage of time, however, they came to be tolerated due to necessity. With the strengthening of the trade union movement toleration changed to partnership. This situation has since changed. Politicization of unions multiplicity of unions, disunity and decline of trade union power have all resulted in the workers losing the initiative and bargaining power.

In this country May Day is no longer a Workers' Day. It does not belong to the worker anymore. Politicians and political parties have taken over May Day, workers are merely going behind political rallies and demonstrations, exhibiting their disunity.

While May Day was earlier intended to show worker solidarity against exploitation and their willingness to fight for their rights, it is today used by political parties to show their respective strengths. That the workers have lost their grip and are mere pawns in the hands of political parties is quite apparent in the manner in which May Day has been celebrated in recent years. The usurpation and invasion of May Day by political parties have virtually driven away the real workers and leaders from the May Day scene.

May Day is usually a day that brings political rivalries into the open. In Sri Lanka worker movements have always had political overtures. This perhaps is party due to the fact that agitation for political independence from British rule often operated under the guise of worker movements.

Unfortunately, after independence this trend continued and political groups not only obtained for workers their legitimate rights by way of wages or working hours but also boosted and retained their own political power. In the process, worker agitation, even if it was reasonable, tended to be equated to political opposition. Each political party continues to organize under their patronage worker movements.

This often leads to a situation where the workers are exploited to create embarrassment to the party in power.

It also tends to prevent the free organisation of worker movements and often it happens that due to these political allegiances workers get divided even on issues that are common to all. Thus trade unionism in this country indicates a somewhat tragic situation. When workers show readiness to align themselves to political parties they come to depend largely on the swing of the political pendulum to go the way they want.

It is an irony in a country with a history of over 100 years of trade unionism and with 95% literacy, outsiders continue to manipulate the destinies of the workers.

These self appointed protagonists are either politicians of followers of some decadent ideology and use trade unions to climb to power and to preserve the positions they already hold.

How wise has the trend among local unions to latch on and associate themselves with various political parties in this country been?

When their party is in power they are reluctant to "rock the boat" by asking for whatever they should get. This is what leads to industrial deadlocks, the whittling away of their resources and strengths, which are vital for success. When demands smack of political motivation they are, as a rule, treated more with cynicism than with sympathy.

Have the unions lost more than what they have gained? These are questions that the leadership must ask itself. In other words, what is their standing and creditability? The workers must learn to fight their battles on their own and should not be dependent on politicians to obtain their legitimate rights.

Achievements

May Day is a time for stocktaking. It has been the order of successive governments to celebrate May Day with mere pomp and pageantry, but with no significant gains to the workers. What has the "Working Class" achieved in contrast to the middle class agitations which are increasingly achieving their ends by holding the public to ransom?

Take the case of the government doctors, engineers, stationmasters, para medics and currently the Customs officers.

While the working masses stand mutely by, it is the "bourgeoisie" which is clamouring greedily for its rights, with no mention of course of its responsibilities.

All this is a reflection of current social dynamics. The middle classes are wielding disproportionate power and they are mobilizing more effectively than the working class.

Trade unions are expected to support the process of national development. In this context it is relevant to examine to what extent trade unions in this country have contributed to the task of national development, and whether they have acted with responsibility and restraint Against the background of the recent strikes of doctors, engineers plantation workers and alarming reports of violence and terror tactics of some unions, it is difficult to understand the rationale of the union leaders.

It is not trade unionism to resort to strike action for the slightest grievances, which should be the ultimate weapon when negotiations fail.

While statistics for 2002 are not yet available, in 2000 there were 1,102 strikes, involving 50,435 employees, resulting in the loss of over 280,140 man hours, while in 2,001 there were 1,180 strikes affecting over 37,000 employees and causing a loss of over 300,000 man hours.

It is, however, not easy to access or quantify the adverse effects on the economy due to industrial unrest caused by wild cat strikes.

We have in recent times witnessed strikes accompanied by violence and vandalism. A very disturbing factor in industrial relations is terror tactics and intimidation resorted to by a particular trade union, which appears to be hell bent in disrupting the economy. Bata Shoe Company of Ceylon Ltd has threatened to close down its world class production and move its business to another country if a particular trade union fails to act with responsibility and stop intimidating workers. the dominant union in this company intimidated the workers, the management and resorted to various acts of vandalism and sabotage.

No right thinking person will condone worker violence.

If any worker group or trade union resorts to terror tactics and sabotage, harass or intimidate persons, it has to be strongly condemned.

Obligations

What union leaders have to realize is that they themselves are part and parcel of the country's common people and any industrial action they resort to must not jeopardise the jobs of their members and the day to day life of the people at large. The general public cannot be expected to sit back, and watch trade unions launch "wild cat" strikes with monotonous regularity.

The view that trade unions should confine themselves only to their parochial problems stands discarded. Today as an organised section of the people in a country, trade unions have a responsibility to make their contributions for fashioning the countries political, economic and social structure.

They should attempt to broad base their influence. The Cardigan principle, "See, Judge, and Act", should be the guiding force to provide the much required leadership the worker needs, so that freed from political parameters workers can unite not only to achieve their rights but also realize their responsibilities to the community.

What we need today is not so much adversarial trade unionism as a sense of partnership in economic enterprise which inevitably will lead to national development.

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