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Every
year since 1889, workers across the globe have gathered in their
numbers to celebrate Labour Day, the contribution of the workers in
society. This year has been unique and very different to most years
since International Workers Day was first celebrated. In December
2019, a new virus was first noticed in China’s Hubei province, and
especially around the city of Wuhan. Since then, the virus has become
a pandemic, leading to a halt in most production in about 187
countries and territories in the world. As a result, the 2020 edition
of Labour Day had a different texture.
Most workers
celebrated May 1st
under strict lockdown regulations. The government of Malaysia used
the day to crackdown on migrant workers despite its promise to
undocumented migrants that nothing would happen to them. The
Malaysian government said it needed to test the migrant workers for
COVID-19. Malaysian authorities detained migrant workers, and are now
blaming them for the spread of the coronavirus in the country.
In
a ‘Joint Letter’ dated April 10, 2020, a coalition of civil
society groups and trade unions in the country appealed to the United
Arab Emirates (UAE) government to include migrant workers in its
response to the coronavirus pandemic. The question of extending
relief packages to migrants is a big debate in South Africa, and the
argument of the left is similar to that made by the UAE’s coalition
group. The UAE for its part, elected to begin a process to repatriate
these workers to their birth countries. Most of them are from nearby
countries such as Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka.
In Hong
Kong, in defiance of government regulations, anti-Chinese government
protestors took to public spaces like malls and subway stations on
Workers Day, with some groups also carrying out relief operations for
poor communities. Many protestors were dispersed using pepper-spray
and some were arrested by the Hong Kong police.
Greek
health workers, along with workers from other sectors, students and
the leftist trade union PAME (All-Workers Militant Front), also
defied state regulations on gatherings amid restrictions due to the
outbreak to observe International Workers’ Day. PAME demonstrators
(mainly workers and students) all wore masks and strictly adhered to
physical distancing measures as well. The protesters waved flags,
chanted slogans and held banners reading ‘No sacrifice for the
bosses’.
There were less orderly demonstrations in a few
other countries. In Turkey, May Day demonstrations took place
throughout the country, with some violent clashes with the police as
they tried to disperse demonstrators using teargas and water cannons
in Istanbul. Reports say that several protestors were detained.
In
addition to rallies, many workers observed the day through online
meetings of one kind or another. The International Workers Committee
(IWC), for example, posted a 3-hour long rally in several languages.
The event took place at 09:00(am) in Mumbai, 08:00(am) in Kabul,
11:30(am) in Beijing, and 13:30(pm) in Sydney. As a slogan, the rally
said workers, youth and humanity need to be saved instead of the
banks and the capitalists, evidently criticising the conservative
response of neoliberal governments.
As the coronavirus
ravages countries and wreaks havoc across the world, forcing
lockdowns and strict rules around large gatherings, the International
Workers Day was not celebrated in quite the same way as previous
years in most countries. Workers had to remain indoors and, in
countries like England, the mood was sombre. But as the COVID-19
virus continues to halt production, creating unprecedented pressures
on capitalism, it also continues to force a rethink of many
previously ‘untouchable’ ideas, and it could soon be the workers’
day as imagined.
This
article was submitted on 4 May 2020. You may republish this article,
so long as you credit the authors and Karibu! Online
(www.Karibu.org.za), and do not change the text. Please include a
link back to the original article.
