May Day

Wednesday, 1 May 2019 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Roads in Colombo will be empty of the rallies which have colourfully celebrated May Day for decades. But the need for workers to be celebrated remains true. Working conditions in Sri Lanka still need to be celebrated, and acknowledgement of sacrifices made over a hundred years ago have to be appreciated.

In the late nineteenth century, the working class was in constant struggle to gain the 8-hour work day. Working conditions were severe, and it was quite common to work 10 to 16 hour days in unsafe conditions. Death and injury were commonplace at many workplaces, and inspired such books as Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle and Jack London’s The Iron Heel. As early as the 1860’s, working people agitated to shorten the workday without a cut in pay, but it wasn’t until the late 1880’s that organised labour was able to garner enough strength to declare the 8-hour workday. This proclamation was without consent of employers, yet demanded by many of the working class.

At this time, socialism was a new and attractive idea to working people, many of whom were drawn to its ideology of working-class control over the production and distribution of all goods and services. Thousands of men, women and children were dying needlessly every year in the workplace, with life expectancy as low as their early twenties in some industries, and little hope but death of rising out of their destitution.

A variety of socialist organisations sprung up throughout the latter half of the 19th century, ranging from political parties to choir groups. In fact, many socialists were elected into governmental office by their constituency. But again, many of these socialists were ham-strung by the political process, which was so evidently controlled by big business and the bi-partisan political machine. Tens of thousands of socialists broke ranks from their parties, rebuffed the entire political process, which was seen as nothing more than protection for the wealthy, and created anarchist groups throughout the country. This deep social and economic struggle shaped the working conditions of billions of people over the last 100 years.

Sri Lanka is still working on upgrading and updating its labour laws. There are many challenges, with informal work becoming a stronger component of the economy, to roll back or change many of the standard labour laws in Sri Lanka to fit flexible working hours, and expand social safety nets to support more workers in the informal sector. Start-ups and technology as a whole is also redefining labour and how it can be rewarded equitably. These are all struggles that have evolved as the latest front to giving dignity to labour.

Truly, history has a lot to teach about the roots of this effort. When we remember that people were shot so we could have the 8-hour day, we understand that our current condition cannot be taken for granted - people fought for the rights and dignities we enjoy today, and there is still a lot more to fight for. The sacrifices of so many people cannot be forgotten, or we’ll end up fighting for those same gains all over again. This is why we celebrate May Day.