30 April 2007
The 1st of May has been commemorative for centuries. In England the roots of May Day can be traced back to Saxon times and it is historically remembered by the medieval tradition of dancing round the maypole. In modern times the 1st of May marks International Labour Day and is celebrated by political demonstrations. How did this change come about and is there more to come?
The beginnings of Labour Day could almost be a fairy tale with stories of knights and the struggle of good against evil, in this case exploitation. It is in fact a pertinent reminder that the rights of workers have in the past been hard fought over and that unions continue to lobby today for improvements.
It all started in America in the late 1800’s. An organisation for working people called the Knights of Labor held a parade in New York on the first Monday in September to celebrate the working class, which became an annual event known as Labor Day. The Knights took up the campaign for the eight hour working day and, although initially opposed to strike action, they joined forces with other unions and rallied for a national demonstration on 1st May 1886. They were successful in a number of states but in Chicago the strike continued.
On the 3rd May strike workers from different organisations combined and confronted workers crossing the picket line at a plant in Chicago during a shift change. Within minutes the police were called and the scene erupted into violence. The police attacked the crowd killing at least four workers and injuring many others. Leaders of the International Working People's Association called for revenge and a mass rally took place the following day at Haymarket Square, where clashes between the workers and the authorities continued. Just as the police were ordering the crowd to disperse a bomb was thrown at them, Killing some and wounding many others. The police retaliated, shooting into the crowd, and several more people were fatally wounded. Subsequently, eight leaders of the labour movement were arrested and put on trial. Three received sentences of life imprisonment whilst the other five were sentenced to death.
The convictions captured worldwide attention. In the US, the newly- founded American Federation of Labor (AFL) issued a public appeal for clemency and workers in England, Holland, Russia, Italy, France and Spain rallied and donated funds for the defendants. Despite the international controversy the sentences were carried out and four of the men were hanged on 11th November 1887. The other, just 21 years old, sealed his own death by biting into a stick of dynamite. These men were posthumously pardoned by the Governor of Illinois six years later.
The fact that these men had lost their lives trying to secure a basic right for all workers was not forgotten. A year later at the AFL convention support for the cause continued and it was declared that there would be a day of strikes and demonstrations in the US to be held on 1st May 1890. At the International Socialist Congress in 1889, 400 delegates passed a resolution calling for a "great international demonstration" to take place for the eight-hour day and, in an act of solidarity, also chose 1st May 1890. Demonstrations were held throughout the world and these become an annual event. Although the US and Canada still favour the original Labor Day in September, many other counties have declared May 1st as a public holiday to commemorate workers.
This year, there is a TUC march in support of trade union rights, human rights and international solidarity taking place in London, starting from Clerkenwell Green where the first May Day March started in 1890. It is also not surprising that Amicus and the T&G have chosen this day as the day to consolidate their merger and form a new union, reportedly to be named Unite, making them the country's biggest union. Last week the T& G and Amicus announced that they had even bigger plans and had begun merger talks with the United Steel Workers of America to create a global super union.
Crucial to the power struggle is the ability of the union to attract members and achieve recognition in the workplace. Labour Day provides an opportunity to highlight their cause but more may come in your post! The TUC has just announced that it will be targeting small businesses across the UK with a new leaflet introducing the benefits of having a unionised work force, which according to government figures, shows that unionised work forces tend to be safer, better trained and more productive.