From May Day, to mayday...mayday... for citizens - EDITORIAL

May 1, 2021 marked the second time in our country’s history, since workers’ day was first commemorated in Sri Lanka in 1927, that workers of this country were unable to come out in force, to collectively demonstrate worker power. The Covid-19 pandemic effectively put paid to that.

Labour Day was first held in then Ceylon in 1927 under the leadership of A.E. Gunasingha. The demonstrations started from Price Park and the rally was held ultimately at the Galle Face Green. The first May Day Rally under Marxist leadership in Ceylon was held in 1935. May Day was declared a public holiday by the government led by Prime Minister S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike in 1956.

Since Covid-19 hit this country in 2020, the worst affected section of the population has been the working class. During the initial days of the pandemic - especially in the aftermath of the country being locked down to contain the virus - hundreds of thousands of daily paid workers lost their employment. Food stuff was in short supply and that which was available, was beyond the reach of many working class families.

As the disease continued to rampage through the country, most of those workers who were lucky not to lose employment saw their salaries halved. There was little or nothing the trade unions - those august bodies representing worker interests - could do about it. In many sectors, these pay-cuts still operate and the unions have little or no power to mitigate the circumstances of their members. It must be admitted however, a single conglomerate has not only restored workers wages, but also paid back wage cuts.

A sad comedown from the heyday of the trade union movement in the 1970s, when TUs could topple governments over infringement of workers’ rights or a rise during cost of living. The back of the trade union movement was broken when the then UNP government, using Emergency Regulations - dismissed over 40,000, mainly state sector employees who participated in the general strike in July 1980. 
In the face of a rapidly increasing cost of living, workers were demanding an increase of Rs. 10/- per day wage increase. The Government sacked over 40,000 workers, filled the vacancies with their supporters and broke the strength of the trade union movement. 

During the 1989 insurrection of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), extremist cadres of the JVP killed off many Marxist and trade union leaders, further disseminating the TU movement. With the death of TU leaders, the organised trade union movement became yes-men in the hands of party-political forces cow-towing to party political interests.

In the upcountry areas, home to the largest single body of workers - the tea and rubber plantation workers – the trade unions converted themselves into political parties blurring the lines between political interests and workers’ rights and interests.

With trade unions become appendages of political parties, workers’ rights and needs played second fiddle to narrow party politics. Thus it has come to pass, that at a time when workers are most in need of trade unions to defend their rights, they find themselves, literally left high and dry.
Today, while the national average wage of workers in the private sector is still under Rs. 25,000/- per month, a survey carried out by the ‘Daily Mirror’ revealed the cost of having two balanced meals a day would cost a single family at the very least Rs. 25,280/- a month. This leaves a four-member family with no cash for children’s schooling, clothing medical expenses or leisure... 

It indicates the next generation of our children is going to be malnourished. To make matters worse, schools are closed island-wide and the governing powers demand children use distant learning facilities, which are available online.

Unfortunately, the on-line facilities are available to less than 70% of families in the country. Even in cases where families do have on-line facilities, most families do not possess more than one computer or lap-top each. For better or for worse, Sri Lankan families often are not limited to a single child. Pity the second and third child. Worse, what happens if a child falls ill during this period, health authorities are already claiming hospitals are overwhelmed due to the pandemic... 

What this also means is, the system is creating a pool of sickly, undernourished under-educated young citizens from working class background, who are destined to become ‘hewers of wood and drawers of water’ to corrupt politicians and the capitalist class in this country.