May Day 2017 and matters arising
Historically, the international workers' day could be traced as far back to 1st-4th of May, 1886. This was when a group of fearless leaders in the United States of America summoned for a general strike to back home their demands for a legitimised eight-hour working day.
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Rightly, the late 1880’s Industrial Revolution in post-civil war America had got on in a full scale.
Workers indeed were suffering. With machines and equipment replacing skilled labourers, working hours were being increased by employers with conditions of work getting worse. Wages became insufficient and the revolutionary ideas of Socialism and Marxism caught on with many of these marginalised and antagonised labourers. Really, the movement for an eight-hour a day’s work got increasingly popular with the people and this became a powerful drive to fight for as workers’ right. With all of this developing, riots and disputes transitorily ignited.
At one point in time, in May 1, 1886, nearly 35,000 workers, who were at a large protest in Chicago's Haymarket Square, agitating for the regularisation of eight-hour workdays had one of them hurling a dynamite bomb at the police who were there to give protection and to ensure law and order. This, in fact, generated into a clash that left at least 12 dead and scores wounded. The riot was followed by a hugely publicised trial and the eventual hanging of four anarchists, the "Haymarket Martyrs”. The riots in the Chicago protests spread across Germany, United Kingdom and France. As a result, governments began to formally recognise May first as the International Day for Workers just to commemorate the Chicago incidence. In 1889, the International Socialist Conference affirmed that in remembrance of the Haymarket affair, May 1 would be an international holiday for labour, currently known in many places as International Workers' Day. From that time to date, the day had been recognised as such and it is marked worldwide to draw home labour issues and other national matters arising.
Contemporary May Day celebrations
The first international May Day celebration was allegedly marked with huge demonstrations and strikes in the USA, Belgium, Austria, France, Hungary, Italy, Germany, Cuba, Switzerland, Romania, Mexico, Argentina and Russia. But ostensibly, it is imperative to note that most African countries in those days, may be excluding Egypt, Ethiopia and Liberia were all colonies of most European super powers like Spain, Portugal, Britain and France and, therefore, when Ghana gained her independence in 1957, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, a very close friend of labour, was acknowledged as the "Number One Worker in Ghana" in 1965; five years after a full republican status. He was awarded with a May Day Award by the TUC under the headship of Mr J.K. Tettegah, who was then the Secretary-General.
May Day events were, however, put on hold during the first military coup d’ tat which overthrew Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah's Convention People's party (CPP) administration on February 24th 1966. The celebrations took up again in 1967 after the1972 January13th military coup under the leadership of General Ignatius Kutu Acheampong. This occasion was marked with a Grand National parade held at the forecourt of the Accra Community Centre. Hundreds of workers from the Accra-Tema Metropolitan Area attended and this saw the formal institutionalisation of May Day awards in honour of selected dedicated workers of the TUC, led by Secretary-General Alhaji A.M. Issiful.
Significance
Tentatively, Labour Day is a period to appreciate and celebrate the role of workers in the country and the economy as a whole. It is indeed a period to make a statement about the real economic issues of the time and also a resolve to look at all the outstanding national issues that affect survival needs. In fact, the day is more than a holiday. It is a time to drum home the vital contributions working people have made to the country. It is really a good time to echo on what is needed to improve on the socio-economic well-being for all citizens and for workers in particular.
Arguably, working people are the pivot of the economy. Their efforts and the very work they do, the services they provide and their taxes, as well as the money they spend which push and drive the economy on its wheels. If the economy declines and there is downward pressure on wages and salaries with government austerity programmes resulting in layoffs, working people do feel cheated and used as they see themselves as the bread winners of the economy. It is at this time that they sing home the loudest on the need to rewrite their bargaining agreements and push for better living standards that can increase their worth. So it is a well-deserved day that workers always envisage.
Regional parades
The Executive Board of the Trades Union Congress after the December 31 Revolution; the country's third military coup of December 31, 1981, decided to decentralise the national parades to the regional capitals by rotating it to allow each region to experience the hosting of such important workers' anniversary event. In the quest to this rotational arrangement, Koforidua first held it in 1989. This was followed by Tamale, then by Takoradi, and then later by Obuasi in the Ashanti Region. Cape Coast followed in that order till Ho had its turn of the parade in 2002. Wa in the Upper West Region was in 2016.
In fact, in an inordinate length of time, these beautiful and colourful parades have often been characterised with floats and jubilations by workers; both unionised and non-unionised such that the euphoria has caught up with non-unionised associations like farmers, fishers, market traders and various voluntary organisations.
2017 Edition
Remarkably, the May Day Awards, which were established in 1967 with just words of citation and certificates of honour, have now been improved to the award of mementos gadgets like fridges and television sets and in addition to certificates and badges to workers from the various National Unions. This is at both the national and regional events for the dedicated and meritorious services rendered at the various affiliated unions of the Ghana Trades Union Congress. This year's celebration on the theme “Ghana at 60: Mobilising for Ghana’s Future Through the Creation of Decent Jobs” was under the sponsorship of Organised Labour, which involved the TUC, Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT); the Civil Servants Association and Ghana Registered Nurses Association, among other organisations.
Indeed as we celebrate Labour Day this year, let's actually celebrate the contributions of the working people by continuing to press home for economic change to reverse growing income inequality. It is also a time we address national labour matters arising on the biometric registration of workers with the SSNIT, PUWU’s issues on the Article 7.1 of the MCC II, The Coalition of Unemployed Diploma Nurses demanding clearance and postings from the Finance Ministry, two years after they have completed their programmes at the various nursing training colleges and the surmountable issues of galamsey that needs to be dealt with, once and for all.
To the working people of Ghana we say Ayekoo! Long live workers’ solidarity! Long live Ghana! Chooo…Boooieee!!!