The International Labour Day, or May Day, is a day dedicated to acknowledge and honour the contributions of the working people, who have helped build civilisations amidst countless hardships both in the past and at present. The day, which has been traditionally used to show off the political might of political parties in Sri Lanka, will be celebrated today with less pomp and pageantry. This is due to the significant political upheaval within the 2022-2024 period and due to the fact that for the first time, May Day is celebrated with the JVP- led NPP in power.
While political activism concerning the working people has been instrumental in winning their rights and freedoms, in many contexts, in Sri Lanka, traditionally the political aspect seems to have subdued the labour rights aspect, which sets a wrong precedent. In Colombo, instead of the working people, we have been celebrating politicians who claim to be the saviours of representatives of the working people. On 1 May of every year, mainstream political parties gather their followers and hold various commemorations for the working people. However, in reality, they have done very little for the working people compared to what they have promised. The day has become more about political parties and labour rights and wellbeing.
It would be interesting to observe if there will be a change in the status quo moving forward. However, with elections around the bend and an opposition in disarray trying to regroup, Sri Lanka’s practices with May Day are unlikely to change, anytime soon.
Nevertheless, we as a country have reached a point where this tradition cannot be allowed to continue. Sri Lankans must demand the change they asked for through the ballot last year. With the economic crisis that dealt a heavy blow to the country’s workforce, especially those in the informal sector who constitute the lion’s share of the workforce, it is now more important than before to make tangible efforts to recognise the contributions of the working people and to take effective and honest measures to improve their lives. The ongoing austerity measures, many which are necessary in the short term, have taken a disproportionate toll on the working class, and especially on those who toil away in the informal sector.
That is why, moving forward, May Day should not be about politicians, political parties or elections. If politicians genuinely care about the working people as they claim, this year, they should acknowledge how the working people have plunged into poverty, forced to work more to make ends meet, lost their mental and physical wellbeing, and have found themselves in a situation of uncertainty. Political parties, if they actually care about the working people, should also tell the country what they identify as the pressing issues faced by the workforce, what their priorities would be when it comes to addressing these issues, and most importantly, present their plans and obtain the people’s suggestions to resolve these issues. The working class deserves to know how the political class plans to change their lives for the better. What better place to start, than when a Government made up of those who represented the ‘working class’ for decades, are in power.
The working people also have a part in making May Day a meaningful one for them, rather than supporting politicians to hold the year’s biggest political rally. Now that the country has experienced through the economic crisis what wrong political decisions can do to the economy and to the working people, they should not let political campaigns fool them. The working people should pay attention to the political parties that present practical and effective solutions to uplift the working people. If they too played their part right, perhaps, this May Day would change the outcomes of the upcoming elections thereby changing the country’s future for all.