May Day - early days

Wijitha NAKKAWITA

May Day - the International Labour Day - is being held today for the 53rd year since it was recognized officially as a holiday in 1957 by the MEP Government headed by Premier SWRD Bandaranaike. It is also necessary to remember Labour Minister T B Illangaratne who proposed making it a holiday.

My colleague Premil Ratnayake recalls an interesting anecdote about May Day that was not made a holiday by the first post independent government of Premier

D S Senanayake. Tarzie Vittachchi was the editor of the Observer at the time. One day Tarzie was looking for a good page one lead story. He asked one of the young journalists Maxie Jacotine to contact Premier D S Senanayake. The young journalist got hold of the telephone and rang up the Premier and someone at the other end answered the call. But Jacotine was not sure who answered the call.

"Is the old man in?", he queried

"Yes. It is the old man here. What can I do for you," it was D S Senanayake himself.

"Oh I am very sorry Sir. Please forgive me," a tremulous Maxie stammered.

"That's okay what can I do for you?"

"I am Maxie from the Observer and happened to call you to find out whether the Government would make May Day a public holiday," he then asked.

"Ah yes, we are thinking about it now," D S Senanayake replied.

"Could we quote you Sir", Maxie now more assured, asked.

"Yes of course you could quote me," the Premier replied and the Observer had a good page one lead story the next day.

Of course D S Senanayake or his Government did not have even a remote idea about making May Day a national holiday and in fact did not consider recognizing trade union or workers rights.

Eight-hour working day

But of course it was the blood of the workers and innocents shed in Haymarket, Chicago more than a century back - May 1886 - that gave the workers world over an eight hour working day. It is how the red flag became the workers flag in the memory of those who had sacrificed their lives for an eight-hour working day.

In Chicago the trade unionists and other activists decided to walk out of their places of work after the national movement for an eight hour working day decided to protest against employers keeping their employees working for nine or even ten hours a day. The trade unionists were supported by socialists, reformists as well as a section labeled anarchists. The movement began gathering momentum and in between the last few days of April and the first days of May, 1886, Chicago workers started strikes and particularly a long strike at one company became a crisis when the workers came out on a public protest demonstration. Police fired on the workers killing two of the workers injuring many others.

Miscarriage of justice

This unwarranted act of the Chicago Police - socialists and unionists said the Police were bribed by the employers to break the spirit of the trade unions and what followed was a catastrophe. The group called 'Anarachists' called for revenge for killing and injuring the unarmed workers. A protest meeting followed at Haymarket and the Chicago Mayor Carter Harrison instructed the Police not to interfere with the meeting and he himself attended the meeting.

During the peaceful meeting someone threw a bomb at the Police killing one policeman. Police who were at the scene immediately drew out their guns and started firing on the workers indiscriminately and a large number of workers died - the number was not declared by the authorities. In the scuffle that ensued a large number of policemen were injured.

In reprisal the Police arrested hundreds of people after the Mayor banned meetings and demonstrations following the bloodshed. It was a miscarriage of justice and those indicted before Court were not proved guilty of the charges as there was no compelling or conclusive evidence against the accused - leading speakers and writers - who stood for the rights of the workers but the prejudiced judge sentenced a number of them to death.

Appeals were made but failed. Independent and right thinking US public were outraged - four of the accused were hanged - two sentences were committed and one accused committed suicide.

The sacrifices of the workers and the activists of Chicago inspired the working class movements and parties like the Communist parties to demand for the eight hour working day and many states recognized May 1st as the working class day and made it a holiday.

In this country the May Day became the working class day after it was made a holiday by the MEP government in 1957. Most political parties including the LSSP, CP and SLFP held their own May Day rallies and meetings from that time onwards.

Working class day

Some of the May Day rallies and demonstrations were not only massive but were also colourful events that were remembered. One of the biggest May Day rallies was in 1976 during the Premiership of Madame Sirimavo Bandaranaike. Journalists assigned to cover the event had to wait on Galle Face Green till 6.00 am the following day to see the last contingent of the demonstration coming into Galle Face green!

Finally in the late 1970s the UNP also decided to join the bandwagon though it had been an anti-working class party from its inception. During the Presidency of J R Jayewardene the UNP also organised its own trade union the JSS and started holding May Day rallies at Galle Face Green. But demonstrating its political mediocrity the UNP began inviting famous Indian movie singing stars like Mohamed Rafi or Nitin Mukesh to sing at the UNP May Day meeting at Colombo.

Trade union leaders

Either the leaders of the party or its trade union leaders were not aware that the main reason for holding May Day events was to commemorate those who had sacrificed their lives - killed extra judicially - a harrowing sad matter not an occasion for entertainment or they were simply too cynical to make the event a song and dance.

The May Day is commemorated across the world in the memory of those workers and activists who had sacrificed their lives agitating for an eight-hour working day that we take for granted today. During the past several years the leftist and radical political parties had held massive May Day processions and rallies - sometimes to show the support of the working class for the governments in power. This year however after more than two decades the May Day rallies in the city and outstations are being held under conditions of peace without the threat of terrorism.

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[Focus on workers ]

* May Day declared holiday here in 1957

* Proposal by then Labour Minister T B Illangaratne

* May 1886 Haymarket, Chicago massacre gave birth to May Day

* One of the biggest May Day rallies in Sri Lanka was in 1976

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