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May Day

May Day ! May Day ! is the international call sign for aircraft in distress, but the real May Day is generally used as a call sign by workers in distress the world over.

May Day is an opportunity for the working class to show their collective might to the ruling class. It is also a day to get away from the tedium of the office or factory and join hands with fellow workers in a spirit of camaraderie, walking with gusto in rallies while chanting slogans denouncing the enemies of working masses.

May Day, the observance of which began in the USA in the latter part of the 19th century, has now evolved into a worldwide celebration of labour. Working people from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe will bond in solidarity today to seek their demands for a better deal at the workplace.

Workers in Sri Lanka celebrate this year's May Day in the aftermath of the election of a worker-friendly government. Workers, farmers, government servants and people from all walks of life played a role in ousting a government that had ignored the plight of the ordinary man.

The skyrocketing cost of living, the curtailment of workers' rights, soaring unemployment and several other factors led to disenchantment among the people.

Indeed, workers who take to the streets today demanding better working conditions must spare a thought for those who are literally in the streets, with no job, no means of income.

The new government has taken cognisance of this and announced an employment drive under the first phase of which 27,000 graduates will be given jobs. Appropriately, they will be apply for these jobs from today.

Once you are employed, job satisfaction and security become important issues. This is why the new government must take all possible steps to ensure workers' welfare and rights. Workers recently launched a spate of campaigns against the privatisation of government institutions and attempts to take away their rights. The Government must probe these privatisation deals and take action to safeguard employees' rights.

In this context, the authorities must also do more to ensure the welfare of the 1.5 million Lankan migrant workers in the Middle East and elsewhere. Many instances of harassment of workers by their foreign employers are reported to our missions.

Some workers returned home in coffins. These matters must be addressed with the cooperation of the host countries. The creation of a new Labour Relations and Foreign Employment Ministry is thus a step in the right direction.

On this May Day, we should turn our attention to those who should not be working at all, but are working nonetheless; children. Child labour is a serious problem worldwide and especially so in the developing world.

Millions of children, some as young as four, are doing menial jobs in dismal conditions for a pittance. Governments around the world must work in unison to efface this black mark on the civilised world.

Governments interact on these labour matters through the International Labour Organisation, of which Sri Lanka is an active member. Likewise, employees interact with employers on labour issues through trade unions. It is a two-way street.

Employers must do their best for the employees, who in turn have to fulfil their obligations towards the workplace. A successful union between the employer and employee signifies the very spirit of May Day and results in a better future for all.

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A new era for Europe

While the rest of the world celebrates the International Labour Day today, Europe has another occasion to celebrate: the enlargement of the European Union (EU) to 25 States. The entry of 15 new members to the EU marks a new beginning for Europe, which now becomes the third most populous region in the world (425 million people) after China and India.

May 1, 2004 is baptised "E-day" to mark the biggest enlargement of the EU and the Irish presidency has planned a celebratory "Day of Welcomes" in Dublin for the new members.

Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia are joining the 15 existing members for a historic merger of Europe's East and West. It is a transition that only a few even dared to contemplate just two decades ago - apart from the Mediterranean islands of Malta and Cyprus, the other countries were behind the Iron Curtain.

It is too early to predict the results of this integration, but few in the new member nations doubt that joining the EU would be a route to prosperity.

The combined wealth of the incoming member states in 2002 showed a Gross Domestic Product of 444 billion euros, around 4.8 per cent of the total wealth of the current EU. A borderless trading system across 25 countries will stimulate economic growth in the new entrants as well.

The integration is not without its teething problems. Most of the new members fear an escalation in the cost of living as EU-sanctioned taxes are imposed.

For example, the adoption of value-added taxes in the Czech Republic to conform with EU regulations, will make most goods and services 14 per cent more expensive. Such price rises are still worrying in a region where the average salary is under 500 euros a month.

The EU job market will still be closed to the new EU states. The 15 current EU members want to wait for up to seven years before they open their borders to workers from the 10 new countries. This will delay the complete union of EU peoples and economies by at least a decade.

Several other prospective EU members are waiting in the sidelines, watching these developments closely. Will the EU lead to a United States of Europe ? Most EU countries remain wary of diktats from Brussels - they will have to strike a balance between individual interests and the greater interests of their Union.

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